


the inherent homoeroticism of both being idiots

by Rocknoutfrthdead



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: (but not too much dw), Bisexual Katara (Avatar), Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Bisexual Zuko (Avatar), Chaptered, Explicit Language, F/F, Internalized Homophobia, Lesbian Mai (Avatar), M/M, No Smut, Not Canon Compliant, Past Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Past Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Post-Canon, Wordcount: 10.000-30.000, idiots to lovers, implied Suki/Ty Lee, just know theyre together in my heart, like curse words tho nothing worse than that, maitara underrated ship i'm probably gonna write more for them, mild violence, no promises, or at least i tried to imply it but didn't really end up doing that very well, technically. for LOK. it's compliant for ATLA
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:35:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29831244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rocknoutfrthdead/pseuds/Rocknoutfrthdead
Summary: The life of a Firelord is always rife with danger. Even with Katara and Mai protecting him, Zuko still can't seem to catch a break.
Relationships: Katara/Mai (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Kudos: 33





	1. She's No Angel (But She is My Religion)

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter title from She's My Religion by Pale Waves. Fic title from my brain.

After the war, Firelord Zuko informed the palace guard that any of the Avatar’s friends were his friends too, and they were to be allowed into the palace whenever they wanted to visit. And they did stay, for the first few months: Toph said she wanted a chance to practice her earthbending against firebenders, Katara claimed she still needed to look after Zuko’s wounds, Aang didn’t want to leave Katara, and Sokka said he needed to protect them all. Zuko was just grateful to have friends around, even if he knew it couldn’t last forever.

Toph was first to leave. “The Blind Bandit has been gone too long. And… I want to see if my parents are okay,” she’d said, and Zuko had hugged her. “The Blind Bandit is always welcome here, I hope she remembers that.” Toph had grumbled. “I know that, Sparky. I’m not leaving forever. Quit being so dramatic.”

Aang left next, in pursuit of rumors of airbender children born in a remote village in the Earth Kingdom. “Won’t you go with him?” Zuko asked Katara, but she only shook her head. “I… we need some time apart. Plus, you need me around more than he does. A travelling Air Nomad who happens to be master of all four elements and an international hero is much less likely to be killed than the new Firelord of a war-torn nation.” She was right about that. There had been multiple attempts on Zuko’s life since his coronation, from assassins to poisoning to, on one memorable occasion, an attempt to capture him in a net that had been covered in branches and leaves. Katara had been responsible for healing Zuko after every instance of him being injured in these attempts. Even though it angered the court physicians, Zuko argued that she was the best choice: a waterbending master’s healing abilities would always surpass that of a court physician, and the court physicians could be easily infiltrated by an assassin. The court whispered about how the Firelord trusted Water Tribe members more than his own citizens, but they stopped bringing up the matter to his face.

Sokka left next, heading back to the South Pole to help his father rebuild the tribe. “I’ll write often, to both of you. And I’ll be back soon!” He’d told them as he left, and Katara had rolled her eyes. “I didn’t know you could write.” Sokka glared at her. “I’ll have you know I am  _ much  _ more eloquent than her,” he said to Zuko, who just laughed.

Katara didn’t leave. She stayed by Zuko’s side, attended meetings with him, and worked with Mai to keep him safe from attempts on his life. Zuko proposed a plan to open a school for all types of bending in the city, so that the benders could learn from each other, and so that non-firebenders living in the Fire Nation could still get an education. 

“Uncle learned to redirect lightning by watching waterbending masters. I think there’s things we could be teaching each other that we aren’t, simply because of the differences in elements we can control. It shouldn’t have to be that way. Bending in all its forms is linked,” Zuko had said at a meeting of the Fire Nation Council (once, under Firelords past, the War Council). “I think this could strengthen not only our Nation but the others as well, and forge a new sense of kinship between our people and people outside our borders.”

Katara, who heard him speak at the meeting, offered to help with efforts to integrate the types of bending. “I’m one of the most powerful waterbenders out there, and also probably the only waterbender in the capital city. And I’m a close personal friend of the Avatar’s,” she’d explained to the Council, who were skeptical about letting a child of a Water Tribe chief into the inner workings of their government, but had to admit there was no other good option for a waterbender to help them. 

A year passed, in which Mai confided in Katara that she didn’t think she and Zuko were right for each other and the pair split, the plans for the curriculum of the new Bending School were finalized, and more attempts were made on the young Firelord’s life. Less frequently than in the beginning, but more vicious. 

On the dawn of Zuko’s eighteenth birthday, ships arrived from the Earth Kingdom and both sections of the Water Tribe. Aang flew in by bison, along with Suki and Ty Lee from Kyoshi Island. Katara and Mai, who still stayed as captain of Zuko’s guard even though she and Zuko were no longer together, stood on either side of him as Aang arrived. Katara ran to Aang, and Ty Lee leapt from the edge of Appa’s saddle to embrace her old friend Mai, which left Zuko and Suki to greet each other awkwardly. “It’s good to see you, Katara!” Aang said, and Katara smiled. “Good to see you too, Aang. How’s the search for airbenders going?” 

Zuko ordered the ambassadors from the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes be given time to settle in before he met with them, and led his friends into one of the Firelord’s personal chambers, where they could all relax. “What have you all been up to in the Fire Nation?” Suki asked. “Well,” Katara said, “It was Zuko’s idea, but I’m working with some firebenders and earthbenders to build a school for all types of bending.” 

“Hey, that’s a great idea!” said Aang. “I could help with that too! I mean, I’m the only airbending master left, but the search has gone well. I’ve found some airbenders with no idea of how to use their abilities, hiding out in the smallest villages far away from the Fire Nation. We could work together to train them!”

Katara heard the excitement in his voice, and even though she knew the school needed an airbending master, she shook her head. “Aang, you’re the Avatar. The world needs you as more than a teacher.” Zuko shot her a questioning look as if to ask,  _ Why would you turn down the Avatar? _ , but thankfully before she had to explain to him why she wasn’t exactly thrilled to work closely with Aang, there was a pounding knock on the door. “I’m busy!” Zuko yelled, annoyance clear in his voice. “I’m sorry, Firelord Zuko, but one of the ambassadors from the Water Tribe insisted-” came the voice of one of the guards through the door, which was cut off by the sound of someone yelling. “I told you, I’m not just the ambassador from the Water Tribe, I’m a friend of the Avatar’s! And my sister is in there!” 

“Sokka!” Katara exclaimed, at the same time as Zuko. “Let him through,” Zuko called to the guard. Katara heard him grumble something about indecisive firelords before the door opened and Sokka entered. After over a year at the South Pole, he looked different: stronger, maybe. More well-rested than Katara had seen him in years. Sokka grinned. “Did you miss me? C’mon, I know you missed me,” he said, and Katara didn’t answer because she was already giving him a big hug. 

Toph arrived later that day, having wanted to surprise them (and she wasn’t about to join the Earth Kingdom’s ambassadorial team). And just like that, for the first time in nearly two years, the whole gang was back together. The whole gang plus Mai and Ty Lee, Katara noted in her head, although the new additions barely seemed to bother anyone. They all sat and talked for a while, until Zuko couldn’t put off meeting with the other ambassadors any longer. He waved goodbye to the group, telling Mai to take Toph, Aang, Ty Lee, and Suki to their rooms. 

“Katara, you should come stop by the Water Tribe’s embassy tonight. We have sea prawns!” Sokka said, with an excited grin. Katara met his smile with her own. “Sure, Sokka. And we need to catch up! It’s hard writing letters when everything has to be read over by palace security.”

Katara went with her brother to the small Water Tribe embassy, which was completely dark since most of the ambassadorial team was off meeting with Zuko. They sat across from each other at a table in Sokka’s room, both eating small warm bowls of sea prawn stew. “How’s dad? And how are you? Spirits, I can’t believe how long it's been,” Katara said, poking at her stew with a spoon.

“Dad's good, all things considered. We’ve had the Northern Tribe’s help rebuilding, and some of them are even choosing to stay in the South. I just… it felt weird, being back home without you. Without all of you, really. I never thought I’d miss the firelord who chased us around for months, or the hundred year old Avatar who was always making heart eyes at my sister, but I guess I’m more sentimental than I thought.” 

Katara laughed. “Well, there’s one thing you can stop worrying about. Aang and I broke up.”

“You broke up? But why? I thought you really liked him?” 

“Well yeah, I did, and I do, but not like that. He was like twelve, Sokka, of course we weren’t gonna stay together forever.”

“I knew that! Well, I mean, I think I knew that. I mean, Suki and I… she told me she couldn’t do long distance. And that she, uh, found someone else. She said she didn’t want to hurt me by not telling me.”

“Oh, Sokka, I’m so sorry.”

“Nah, it’s fine. We’re still friends! Plus, according to Zuko, the firelord’s eighteenth birthday also marks the day he’s officially eligible for marriage. So every eligible noble Fire Nation girl will be at the party tomorrow.”

Katara raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you think they’ll be there for  _ Zuko, _ not the random Southern Water Tribe ambassador?”

Sokka waved a hand in the air dismissively. “Zuko’ll just end up marrying Mai, I know it. They make a great, gloomy, couple. Which leaves me as the most handsome man at that party.”

Katara snorted. “I honestly don’t know where to start. First of all, Mai’s not  _ gloomy, _ she’s nice once you get to know her. And she broke up with Zuko.” 

“Really? How’d prince jerkface get himself dumped this time?”

“It wasn’t Zuko’s fault,” Katara said, because she had been there. Or more accurately, she had caused it to happen. “Mai and I have been working together a lot, she’s the head of Zuko’s guard and I’m his primary healer. They seemed happy for a while after you guys left the palace, but Mai told me that now that they were together and there was no more war, no more Azula, no more distractions, she realized that she just didn’t love him in that way. She asked me how it felt to be with Aang, and when I told her, she said she’d never felt like that with Zuko. Fondness, yes, but romantic love? Apparently not. So they broke up.”

“How’d Zuko take it?” Sokka asked.

“Surprisingly well, actually. He told Mai he understood the way she’d been feeling, and that he hoped she’d still be willing to work for him. It was awkward for a bit but eventually they both got over it.”

Sokka grinned. “Well, then. Tomorrow, may the best man win! I’m going to dance with  _ way  _ more girls than Zuko.”

Katara rolled her eyes. She seemed to do that a lot when Sokka was around. “Whatever you want to tell yourself, Sokka. He’s the literal firelord, though. I don’t know if you’re much competition.”

“I have everything else going for me! C’mon Katara, admit it. Zuko might be powerful, but he’s the most awkward person I’ve ever met. And he’s… well, he looks better these days than he did when we first met, but still. I’m much more handsome than him.”

“Zuko’s got a good personality. Unlike  _ some _ people I know.” 

“Hey! You like my personality. Lots of people like my personality. Hell,  _ Zuko _ likes my personality.”

“Sure, keep telling yourself that. How do you know Zuko likes your personality? Zuko barely likes anyone.”

“You can ask him! Miss primary-physician-of-the-firelord-Katara.”

“He’s busy doing firelord things. The Fire Nation Council already doesn’t trust me, they won’t much appreciate it if I barge into an important meeting.”

“Why don’t they trust you?”

“They think… I don’t know. Since Ozai, Zuko has replaced the council with new members, but everyone powerful in the Fire Nation is a traditionalist. They don’t want a waterbender to have influence over their firelord.”

“Spirits, I wish Zuko could be influenced by waterbenders. We might’ve had a lot less to worry about when he was chasing us.” 

Katara laughed. “It’s irrational, I know. Zuko is nothing if not very independent. But if you really care so much, I can ask him tonight. We usually take meals together, in case someone slipped something into his food. Which, speaking of, it’s getting late. It was wonderful seeing you, dear brother, but I’ve got to get back to the palace. I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t be late, or Zuko might’ve stolen all the pretty girls!” she taunted.

* * *

Zuko’s eighteenth birthday celebration was, to put things mildly, extravagant. Beforehand, Katara combed her hair and dressed in the special deep purple version of her usual outfit she’d had prepared for this night. Her position in the Fire Nation court was precarious as a waterbender and close confidant of the firelord, so the purple color was her attempt to strike a balance: a symbol of the mixing of the colors blue and red. Not fully loyal to the Fire Nation, but not fully opposed to them either. A symbol of what she hoped was peace. She pinned up her hair loopies with gold beads instead of silver, and placed her mother’s betrothal necklace around her neck. “All ready,” she whispered to herself in the mirror.

Zuko was sitting on a bench placed just behind the curtain that opened out onto the balcony where he would address the nobles of his nation and the ambassadors from the other nations. Mai was standing in the doorway when Katara entered. The young woman was clad in a mixture of traditional Fire Nation armor and more modern clothing, designed to allow her to defend Zuko if she needed to but also to look fashionable. It was a combination of dark reds and greys, like most of Mai’s clothing, which always stood out in a crowd of Fire Nation politicians just enough to mark her as different, but not enough that it would alienate her. The lower sleeves were draped over her arms and billowed wide, making it so the shape of her knives strapped to her arms were practically invisible. 

Zuko was dressed how he always did, minus the swords strapped to his back. It was one thing to roam the palace, mostly filled with guards who knew him and council members who tolerated him with swords, but the wider nobility had to keep the belief that the firelord was confidently protected enough to not need to defend himself. Mai nodded at Katara as she entered. “The delegations have all arrived, Master Katara. They’re just waiting for us now.”

Mai always called Katara ‘Master’ as a way to show respect to her waterbending skills. Katara had been uncomfortable with it at first, but she’d grown to understand it was Mai’s way of showing affection. Just like Toph would call them all slightly insulting nicknames, Mai would use a title for Katara that no one else in the Fire Nation wanted to grant to her. (It was one of many small things that Katara liked to pretend she didn’t notice about the other girl. One of many small affections.) 

“This is the first time we’re having this many people in the palace since the coronation. We have to show them that we’re still strong but not threatening. We also have to make sure any attempts on the firelord’s life are eliminated or dealt with quietly, because to be infiltrated is to show weakness. I’ve selected all the guards who will be here personally, and hopefully the Avatar’s presence will dissuade any possible dissenters,” Mai said, her face calm but her voice giving away an undercurrent of stress. 

“It’ll be alright, Mai. We’ve gone through every precaution, searched every guest, had every ingredient tested and every servant vetted. Even if an assassin manages to make their way in, you and I will be close by to stop them. Plus, Zuko isn’t completely useless himself.”

“Hey!” protested the young firelord. “I’m more than not completely useless. I’m probably one of the best firebenders out there!” 

Mai snorted. “Okay, Zuko. Whatever you say. Are you ready?”

Zuko took a deep breath and stood. “Does it really matter if I’m not?”

* * *

Katara was supposed to mingle at the party, while still watching over Zuko just in case. That was what Mai had told her at the end of dinner, slipping up behind Katara to whisper in her ear and then disappear into the edges of the courtyard again. Katara was more than happy to oblige. She spoke with the Water Tribe delegation, including Sokka, who still seemed ecstatic at the chance to sweet talk high society girls. Apparently some of them found him “charming”. Katara highly doubted that. 

  


Later into the night, the music slowed down, and girls giggled on the sidelines as boys with pink cheeks asked them to dance. Katara saw Sokka walk up to tall, beautiful Earth Kingdom girl with a stupid half-grin on his face, only to be turned away by a nasty look. She couldn’t help but laugh at him. 

There was a faint tap on Katara’s shoulder, and she whipped around. “Wh- Mai?” she squeaked. The other girl had somehow sneaked up behind her and was standing there conspicuously, not looking Katara in the eyes. “Is there something wrong?” Katara whispered, glancing around to make sure no one was listening in. 

“No, everything is fine. Zuko’s dancing with one of the noble girls. He seems… well, not happy, exactly, but content. And safe.”

Katara nodded. She was acutely aware of the silence that followed Mai’s finished sentence. “Well, if everything is okay, why are you talking to me? Oh, that came out wrong. I mean, uh, well, shouldn’t you be dancing? Or something?” Katara stumbled over the words, internally smacking herself in the head. She knew how to speak, in theory. So why was it so hard to form words around Mai? Maybe because they always talked about strategy, and protecting Zuko, and the Fire Nation, and not much more. That had to be it. There was nothing more. She was certain. 

Mai seemed just as embarrassed as Katara, if not more so.  _ Awkwardness doesn’t suit her, _ Katara thought. “Well, in the Fire Nation, despite our many faults, we hold the genders in equal status,” Mai began. Katara sighed internally. It wasn’t her fault some in the Water Tribe held antiquated beliefs, and she was about to launch into an explanation to Mai of how she’d convinced Master Pakku to train her and other girls in waterbending, when she realized Mai wasn't done.

“Because… because women are seen as equal to men, we don’t see it as much of a huge deal for two women to dance together. I mean, some might call it odd, but mostly that’s just the older generation, and frankly I don’t much care what they think. And of course it’s less than optimal in political situations, because two women can’t produce an heir, but-”

Katara couldn’t believe her ears. Was Mai trying to say what she thought she was trying to say? And was Katara’s heart rate actually picking up at the thought of it?  _ Maybe it’s not just that I’m not used to her. _ Some voice inside of Katara said.  _ Maybe it’s more than that. There’s only one way to find out.  _

“I’ll dance with you,” Katara blurted, without thinking. She hadn’t even heard the last of what Mai had been saying, she’d been too caught up in her own thoughts, but at those words she saw a bit of the awkwardness leave Mai’s eyes. The other girl stood up taller. “Thank you, Master Katara. That’s what I was trying to get out.” Mai extended a hand to Katara, who took it gingerly.  _ I’ve never held hands with another girl like this,  _ Katara thought. She found that it wasn’t entirely terrible. In fact, it was possibly a little bit incredible. The two of them drifted closer to the other dancers, Katara looking around and trying to mimic the others nearby. As the press of bodies around them increased, Katara found herself getting closer to Mai. “Is this alright?” she asked, nearly nose to nose with the other girl. 

“Of course,” Mai said softly, but they were close enough that Katara heard her loud and clear. As the music slowed, so did the dancing, and soon everyone was barely moving, simply enjoying the moment with their partner. Mai’s golden eyes were beautiful in the way they caught the firelight, and the corners of her lips were turned upwards just a bit. For Mai, that was like a full-on grin. Katara hesitantly said, “I’ve never done this before with another girl, but it feels… right. In the Water Tribe, I grew up with no one my own age around, and then I was travelling with Aang, so I never… I think I knew, I always knew somehow that maybe… but now…” she trailed off, not knowing quite what to say but knowing that she wanted Mai to hear it.

“I was friends with Azula for a long time, and she… she was when I realized. Even though she was evil, and maybe a little crazy, I was always drawn to her. Ty Lee was the same. Azula knew that, knew that she’d never reciprocate, but she used me regardless. And I knew my parents wouldn’t much like to see me with a woman… so I settled for Zuko. The next best thing. I thought I could make it work. Even after Azula was gone, I thought I could make it work. But I never could. Not because of him specifically, but because no man could ever make me feel… you know. In love,” Mai said softly. 

It was probably the most emotional Katara had ever heard her. She felt an urge to move her hands from where they rested lightly on either side of Mai's waist to wrap around, holding her closer. She felt the muscles in Mai’s back relax against her arms. Mai’s arms went around Katara’s neck, and suddenly they were even closer.  _ It would be so easy to kiss her, _ Katara thought. “Can I kiss you?” she asked, her eyes on Mai’s lips, and Mai breathed the word “Yes.”

Mai’s lips met Katara’s, and it was a million sensations at once. It was warmth, and love, and fire, and magic. It was Mai, and it was Katara, and it was them kissing under the fiery lantern light, and suddenly Katara never wanted the moment to end. Mai’s hands moved up to hold the sides of Katara's face, and Katara held Mai closer, feeling warmth bloom between them. The kiss deepened, and Katara felt Mai’s heartbeat pressed to hers. Katara pulled back for a moment, drinking in the redness of Mai’s cheeks and the sparkling feeling that had spread from her lips to her toes, until suddenly the music came to a clattering halt and someone in the crowd screamed.

Abruptly, Mai broke away from Katara, knives already in her hands. Katara lifted a hand experimentally and felt the water from the turtleduck pond in the courtyard respond to her summons. It flew in the air and hovered beside her. The party guests were in a clamor, yelling and running every which way. “What is it?” Mai asked one of the guards running past her. “The firelord, captain. The girl he was dancing with pulled a weapon on him and ran off.” 

“You find Zuko. I’ll take care of the traitor,” Mai said, already sprinting for the courtyard walls. Very few people could climb like Mai. She was up on the roof and out of sight before Katara could count to ten. She turned back to the guard to ask him where Zuko was, but he’d already disappeared. “Zuko!” Katara called, turning back and forth frantically. If she couldn’t get to him in time- 

“Katara!” Someone yelled.  _ Sokka, _ Katara realized. He was waving from across the courtyard. “Over here!” 

She ran towards his voice, using waterbending to keep the panicked guests at bay. When she reached Sokka, he was bent over Zuko, who was lying on a bench pushed to the edges of the courtyard. “He was dancing with some noble girl, when she pulled out one of her hairpins and stabbed him. He was about to blast her, but she hit him over the head with something heavy and he passed out. I was across the room, I couldn’t get here in time. Should I get a physician?” Sokka asked.

“No,” said Katara. “I’ll deal with it. Go find the Water Tribe delegation and make sure they’re safe. Mai’s already after whoever did this.” Katara knelt beside Zuko and placed her hands over the wound on his stomach. She closed her eyes, concentrating. The wound wasn’t deep, but there was something off about it. Katara frowned, curling her fingers inward.  _ Poison, _ Katara realized, a shiver going down her spine. Without really meaning to, Katara extended her bending into Zuko’s bloodstream, trying to sense the extent of the poison. It hadn’t spread to his heart or brain yet, thank the spirits. 

Katara knew she couldn’t just heal Zuko; she’d have to draw out the poison first. Which would technically be bloodbending. But if Zuko died, the next in line for the throne would be Azula, and she couldn’t think of anything worse than that. The laws of the Fire Nation said that the succession could only be reordered when the firelord was eighteen, the same age at which they would be eligible to get married. Katara breathed deeply, reaching down and out, separating the poison from the bloodstream and slowly drawing it out of Zuko’s veins. Slowly, steadily, she worked, until the poison was floating in a small concentrated drop in front of her. Katara emptied one of her water flasks and directed the poison into it, hoping that someone would be able to track where it had come from.

By the time Katara had finished, the guards had emptied the courtyard, and everything was strangely quiet. She stood shakily, looking around her. Zuko was still out cold, but his breathing was more regular, and the poison wouldn’t be coursing through his system anymore. “Is he alright?” asked Aang, who had somehow made his way to Katara’s side, though she hadn’t noticed. She’d been too concentrated on saving Zuko. “He will be,” she said shakily. “Can you help me get him to his bed?” 

Aang nodded solemnly and lifted a hand, causing a small wind to lift Zuko off the bench. Katara led Aang through the complicated palace halls to Zuko’s room, where Aang set him down. “Mai went after the assassin. I hope she’s alright,” Katara said, closing Zuko’s door and settling on one of the couches in his outer chamber. 

Aang sat beside her. “I saw you dancing with her,” he said, and for a fleeting second Katara was afraid. Would Aang be angry with her? How did the air nomads feel about gay people? She knew that in the Water Tribe, gayness was often frowned upon but overlooked, as long as couples kept things quiet. She didn’t know about anywhere else. 

Aang smiled, though, and said “You seemed happy. I’m glad you’ve found yourself, Katara. Perhaps I was never right for you.”

Katara shook her head. “No, Aang, I was in love with you too, the same way I think I might be with Mai. I… I like both. Yeah.” 

They sat in comfortable silence after that, both still recovering from the surprise of tonight’s attack. A few moments later, the chamber door opened to admit Mai, flanked by two guards. “Did you find her?” Katara asked. Mai shook her head. “All the guests are safe, Zuko was the only one who got hurt. Everyone’s wondering what happened. Is he alright?”

Katara nodded. “Sokka said she knocked him out, and he’s still not up, but the wound is healing.”

Mai perched on the arm of the couch beside Katara, touching a hand gently to her shoulder. “Are  _ you  _ alright?” she said softly. 

“I will be,” Katara said, but she turned away from Mai. They’d both let down their guards for just a moment under the lanternlight, and Zuko had been attacked. It couldn’t have been a coincidence. The assassin must’ve seen the perfect opportunity while Mai and Katara were distracted. They’d known tonight might be a security risk, but despite every precaution, Katara had still let something happen to the firelord. Something that could’ve easily led to his death, if it weren’t for her bloodbending. A shiver went down Katara’s spine. She hated remembering that she had the ability to bend blood. It was unnatural, it was wrong, it went against everything she knew as a bender. Water was the stuff of life, but that didn’t mean she should be able to control living things. It was terrifying. 

“I don’t understand how she got away,” Mai said, her voice sharp. “The doors were guarded, and I didn’t find any guards dead. No one saw her leave. It’s like she disappeared into thin air.”

“Sokka saw them dancing,” Katara said. “Maybe he can give you an idea of what she looked like, so we can issue a search for her.”

Mai sighed. “I’m sorry, Katara. I thought Zuko would be safe. I hope you don’t blame yourself for this incident, because really it was entirely my fault. I should’ve stayed vigilant, I got distracted.”

“I don’t regret the distraction,” Katara said, looking Mai in the eye. “I mean, I’m sorry Zuko got hurt, but I’d still… you know.”

Mai’s face flushed pink. “I didn’t mean to insinuate- I mean, yeah. I don’t regret it either.” 

Katara, even though she was stressed out and panicking morally, still managed to smile at Mai. Underneath everything, she still heard the little hopeful voice inside saying  _ what if, _ and  _ what next. _ Katara was aware of Mai’s hand on her shoulder, of Mai’s thumb rubbing circles on her collarbone. “So what happens next?” Aang said from beside Katara, and Katara shrugged. “Zuko will need to talk to his guests, if he can. Reassure them about everything. After that… well, he’s eighteen now. His first priorities are writing Azula out of the succession and finding a consort.”

There was a knock on the door, and Mai stood to open it. Katara was ready to waterbend if she had to, but it was only Toph and Sokka. “We came as soon as we could,” Sokka said, throwing himself down in one of the plush chairs in the waiting chamber. “The physicians want to take a look at him,” One of the guards in the doorway said to Mai. She glanced at Katara, who nodded. “Send in Kasami, she’s been here for a while. I think we trust her. Don’t let them send anyone else.”

The guard hurried off, and a different guard soon came down the hall to take his place. The group waited anxiously, not talking much. “Should we… check on him?” Sokka suggested timidly, gesturing towards Zuko’s door. Katara nodded. “I guess, before the physician comes in. But one at a time. Mai, come with me.”

Mai obeyed and followed Katara to Zuko’s door. Katara pushed the door open slowly, to see Zuko sprawled across his huge bed, face buried in the pillows, snoring loudly. He seemed alright, not in too much pain. “Aang, light it up in here, would you?” Katara said, and Aang came to stand in the doorway and light the torches on the walls. Zuko shifted, groaning loudly. “Five more minutes, Uncle” he said groggily, and then snapped into full awakeness. 

“Katara! What happened? Why am I back here? Oh, fuck. Ow.” Zuko’s hand went to his stomach, and he grimaced as his hands brushed over the still-open but not bleeding wound. “She stabbed me, didn’t she.”

Toph pushed past Katara into the room, where she sat herself on the edge of Zuko’s bed and said, “Yeah, Sparky, that girl got you good. And she ran away and hasn’t been seen since.” Zuko threw his head into his hands, sighing. “What will everyone think? We had whole nations at that party, what the fuck. This is not good.” 

“They probably just think you’re absolutely atrocious at speaking to women, actually,” said Sokka, who had also made his way into the room, which rendered Katara’s order of  _ one at a time _ a complete failure. 

“I am not atrocious!” Zuko said, but Katara could see that he was smiling despite his indignation. Sokka tended to have that effect on people. “I thought she was having a good time.”

“Did the girl tell you who she was?” Mai asked, from where she still stood beside Katara. “Who her family is, anything?”

Zuko shook his head. “She was shy, and now that I think about it she didn’t tell me anything about herself. I asked her to dance because I saw her lurking on the edges, I thought maybe she was just awkward.”

S okka shook his head, showing what they were all thinking. “ _ Zuko, _ ” he said, “When a girl is mysteriously lurking around you, and she won’t even give you her  _ name, _ that might be a little bit of a red flag! For future reference.”

Zuko’s face flushed red. “Look, I’m not- I don’t know how to talk to people, okay! I’m not used to being nice. I thought I was doing her a favor, helping her out. In the future I’ll just ignore every girl who isn’t confident enough to speak to me, since apparently getting stabbed was my fault!”

Sokka looked like he wanted to respond in a similarly passionate way, so Katara took that as her cue to step between her brother and the Firelord. “Look, Zuko, Sokka’s just concerned. We all are. No one is blaming you. We’re just trying to find who did this to you.” There was more of an edge to her voice than Katara had intended, but it seemed to do the trick. Sokka didn’t say anything more. 

“Zuko, can you walk? If so, we should go to where the guests are being kept. We separated the foreign delegations from the Fire Nation nobility, but tensions are probably running high,” Mai said, rubbing the edge of her sleeve between her fingers absentmindedly. 

Zuko swung himself so his legs were planted on the floor, and then stood shakily. Sokka hurried over to take one of Zuko’s arms over his shoulder, but Zuko waved the other boy away. “I’m fine, Sokka. It was a stab from a hairpin in my stomach, she didn’t break my legs.” 

“I was just trying to help,” Sokka said, annoyed. “At least let us go with you. Your palace security took my sword, but I still have my boomerang.” 

“Sokka, you’re supposed to be with the Water Tribe ambassadors right now. It’s bad enough with them all thinking Katara’s a traitor, they don’t need to pin you as one too.”

“Oh, come on, no one thinks Katara is a traitor! They all know you’re good now, Zuko. You ended the war, you invited them here as your guests, you’ve been working on reparations for months now, and they all know that we’re friends.”

“That’s exactly the  _ problem, _ you idiot,” Zuko muttered. “You’re the future chief of your tribe, you can’t be seen as beholden to the Firelord.” 

“You know what, forget it! I wanted to be there for my  _ friend _ who just got  _ stabbed,  _ but apparently he’s too concerned about my position in the motherfucking Water Tribe hierarchy.” Sokka stormed out of the room, and Katara heard the outer chamber door bang open and shut as Sokka left. 

“Tensions are high, Zuko. You could’ve given him the benefit of the doubt,” Mai said, in a tone of voice that if it had come from anyone else would’ve probably resulted in another teenage boy tantrum. But luckily for all of them, Zuko listened to Mai. He pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers, sighing. “I know, I know. I shouldn’t have snapped at him. I don’t want him, or any of you, getting hurt because you’re trying to protect me, that’s all. I’m the Firelord, I should be able to hold my own against one girl.”

“I’m sure we’ll have plenty more time to ponder how fragile you may or may not be, but for now, it’s the nobility we have to convince. Come on, let’s go,” Katara said, a bit fed up with the snappish words between her brother and her friend. Zuko nodded and tied his topknot back into place. “I’m ready.”

* * *

The nobility took the news of Zuko’s recovery well. Mai fed everyone a false story of a rogue assassin working alone out of misplaced loyalty to the ex-Firelord Ozai, and the people seemed to believe it. No matter how many grievances the court and the forgien powers might have with Zuko, all of them were smart enough to know that he was marginally better than his imprisoned father. “She was apprehended and imprisoned shortly after the incident,” Mai said loudly. “And thanks to the healing expertise of Master waterbender Katara, the Firelord is on his feet already.” Zuko had walked around, reassuring everyone that he was alright, thank you very much, and that no it hadn’t hurt, and that yes the palace was secure, he’d just been very unlucky tonight. 

By the time all their guests had been reassured and sent back to their various embassies, estates, and rooms, it was the middle of the night. Zuko headed to his chambers, barely conscious, to sleep, escorted by two trusted palace guards. Katara and Mai were the last ones out in the now-ruined courtyard, sitting on the edge of the turtleduck pond, looking out on the trampled vegetation and shattered drink glasses that had been a direct consequence to all the running and screaming and general panic earlier. 

Katara hesitantly took one of Mai’s hands in hers, holding it gently. “Mai, I know we got cut short out there, but I want to tell you now. I like you, in  _ that  _ way, and I think you feel the same. I think I have for a while, I just didn’t want to admit it to myself. So, I mean, if you’ll have me, I want to see if whatever this is can work.”

Mai laughed delicately, and Katara felt a warm sensation spread from her chest. Mai didn’t laugh very often. “I thought it was pretty clear that you liked me like that, but yes. I’ll have you, Katara. Gladly. Enthusiastically, even.”

Katara laughed at that herself, amazed at how the events of the day had been so horrible and yet so magical at the same time. She leaned closer to Mai, drinking in every detail of the other girl: the way her pale skin shone in the moonlight, the glossy dark bangs that nearly covered her golden eyes, and leaned in to kiss her, again.  _ Again, _ Katara thought excitedly, as Mai returned the kiss, as Mai’s hands trailed their way to Katara’s face. As they pressed closer together under the moonlight. And this time, there were no Firelord’s screams to interrupt them.

* * *

It was approximately two weeks into Zuko’s life as the newly eligible for marriage Firelord that he stormed into the Water Tribe embassy, sparks flying from his fingertips. Katara, who was sitting in the entrance and talking with her brother and a few waterbenders from the Northern Water Tribe, acted instinctively and sent a wave of water crashing over him, before realizing that the sparking man who’d entered the embassy was not, in fact, a saboteur, but Firelord Zuko. “I’m so sorry, Zuko!” she exclaimed, who was standing completely still in the doorway, dripping water onto the embassy floor. 

Zuko flopped down on one of the couches the embassy entrance had for any guests who might be waiting around, and groaned. The Water Tribe ambassadors glanced at each other, and quickly filed out of the room one by one, until only Sokka and Katara were left.

“What’s going on, Zuko? I thought you were at dinner with some  _ noble family _ or whatever,” Sokka said. 

“The Tanakas, yeah. But if I have to sit through one more second of political dinner, I might actually burst into flames. They’re so  _ boring, _ Katara. And the daughters are worse than the parents, always batting their eyelashes at me and shit, but I can just tell they’re only doing it because they want a chance with the all-powerful Firelord, not because they like me. It’s infuriating.”

This wasn’t at all Katara’s area of expertise. She could heal a wound, waterbend, or give a motivational speech, but none of those skills seemed like they’d help much. Not to mention she’d already used her waterbending on Zuko about five seconds ago, and the result was water damage on the expensive embassy couches. 

Sokka leaned against the wall behind Katara, seemingly fine with letting her deal with this alone. Katara sighed.  _ Why do I have to do everything around here, _ she thought. “Zuko, you knew the dinners would be like this. We all warned you. No one’s forcing you to take these meals.”

The young Firelord huffed an exasperated breath. “They’ll happen eventually, and I’d rather get this whole marrying someone ordeal over with sooner rather than later. I just don’t like any of the women I talk to.”

“What about the men?” Sokka asked from the doorway, and Katara was half-tempted to drench him in water too. Zuko was clearly in no mood for jokes. “The men are worse, because they don’t even have the decency to bat their eyelashes. They just insult me and somehow expect that’ll get them in good graces with the Firelord. I don’t think there’s a single likeable member of the Fire Nation nobility,” said Zuko bitterly.

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Katara said, trying to play the part of the calm friend if Sokka was going to be pissy towards Zuko again. “You’ll find someone you like eventually. If not in the Fire Nation, maybe from somewhere else, like the Earth Kingdom or the Water Tribe. 

“I thought the nobility married for convenience, not liking each other. Does it really matter if you can’t find a girl you like?” Sokka said. Katara shot him a dirty look, but if he saw, he didn’t acknowledge it.

“Yeah, fine, I’m not exactly looking for a soulmate, but you’d think some of these people would actually be, you know, tolerable. I’m not going to marry someone I can’t tolerate,” Zuko said, actually sounding more annoyed than he had when he’d entered.

“Sokka, can we talk?” Katara said, dragging her brother out of the room by his arm. “What?” he asked. “I’m just asking questions.”

“I don’t know what your problem with each other is, but could you please leave Zuko alone for five minutes? Every time you two are in the same room you seem to antagonize him.”

Sokka rolled his eyes. “No one’s antagonizing anybody, Katara. I’m just asking questions, and his royal highness is getting all angry for no reason.”

Katara rubs her forehead, and decides that one moody teenage boy is enough of a problem. She doesn’t need to deal with two. “Sokka, just leave us alone, if you’re not going to be any help.”

* * *

Sokka doesn’t stop being infuriating. In fact, he seems to get worse. Every time they’re all hanging out together, in the brief period of time where Aang, Toph, and Suki are still staying at the palace, he refuses to talk to Zuko. Once the others have left, and Sokka stays because he’s the ambassador for the Southern Water Tribe, things still don’t smooth over between him and Zuko. He refuses Katara’s invitations to dine with them, on the rare nights Zuko isn’t meeting with a noble’s family. In the back of her mind, Katara knows there’s something Sokka isn’t telling her, but she mostly ignores it. She has enough on her plate as it is, finalizing plans for the Bending School and being Zuko’s healer. The assasination attempts don’t stop, and Mai still hasn’t been able to find the girl who stabbed Zuko on his eighteenth birthday. She eventually gives up trying. Katara and Mai just focus on keeping the Firelord as well-protected as possible. Mai moves into a room just down the hall from Zuko’s chambers, as an extra measure of security. Katara visits often.

Out of all the turmoil and mess of palace life, Katara is at least glad that things with Mai are going well. They’re both busy most of the day, attending their duties to Zuko and the school and various other palace issues, but most evenings are their time to spend together. When Zuko is gone, they go into the city, and Mai shows Katara all her favorite spots: delicious food is easy to come by in the Fire Nation. 

They keep their relationship quiet, even though Aang already knows and Zuko figures it out pretty quickly. When he confronts them, with a smile on his face because of course Zuko doesn’t care, and of course he’s happy for them, Katara is grateful. Despite what Mai said about the Fire Nation being not very homophobic at all, she still catches herself looking over her shoulder constantly. 

On nights they don’t see each other, Katara often sneaks out of her room to visit Mai late. The guards know her by now, and they know not to question her. Maybe they think the Firelord is sick, or maybe they suspect Katara’s actual intentions, but either way they don’t stop her when she sneaks through the dark hallways to Mai’s room, right across from Zuko’s. 

Which is why it’s such a shock to her when, as she’s walking down the hall to where Mai’s room is, someone jumps out from the shadows and says, “Aha! I’ve caught you!”

Katara brings up her hands, ready to defend herself, when the person who’s speaking steps out of the shadows. It’s Sokka, still pointing an accusatory finger at her. “I knew you had a secret relationship. I’ve known almost since I got here,” he said, and by the look on his face Katara could tell Sokka didn’t approve. 

“Do you have a problem with it?” Katara said, trying not to sound defensive. Trying also not to punch her brother in the face.

“Well I’m… of course not! I’m... happy for you. What reason would I have to not be happy for you. It would be stupid for me not to be happy for you, in fact. Completely irrational. You two make a great couple.”

“Oh, good, I was worried. I mean… you know, the Water Tribe isn’t exactly tolerant, and I was afraid that you might not like it. Not that that would stop us, but I’m still glad you’re okay with it.”

“Of course I’m tolerant! I mean, yeah, we have been enemies with the Fire Nation for years, but that’s all water under the bridge now. I’m sure everyone will be fine with it, especially considering who you’re dating.”

“You… you really think people’s biggest issue will be that I’m with someone from the Fire Nation, and not that I’m like… dating a woman?” Katara asked, suddenly hopeful. Anti-Fire Nation sentiment, she could deal with. Homophobia, not so much.

“Hold on, what? You’re dating… I thought Zuko was a guy!” Sokka said, looking confused.

“Zuko is a guy. Wh-” 

“But you just said-”

Katara held up a hand. “Wait. Did you think I was with  _ Zuko? _ ”

“Obviously! I mean, you’re always in the palace-”

“I live here!”

“You’re always hanging around him-”

“I’m his healer!”

“You’re literally sneaking to his rooms  _ right now, _ -”

“I’m meeting with Mai, you oaf! She’s the captain of Zuko’s guard, their rooms are in the same hallway!”

At this, Sokka finally stopped rambling and just stared at her. “Mai?” he said eventually, sounding completely lost.

“Yes, I’m dating Mai, she’s my… my girlfriend. Did you seriously think Zuko and I… are you an idiot, Sokka? Don’t you think I would’ve told you? Plus, do you really think Zuko would be having dinner with all these noblewomen if we were together?”

“You told me yourself that Zuko’s council thinks you have too much influence over him! I thought it was a coverup. Plus, you always send me out of the room when you have to talk to him.”

“That’s because you’ve been unnecessarily rude to Zuko practically since you got here,” Katara said.  _ Boys, _ she thought.  _ Idiots. _

“Yeah, because I thought he and you were, you know, together!”

“Sokka, you do get how that’s worse, right? Do you really still dislike Zuko that much, that you’d be mean to him just because he was dating your sister? What’s your problem?”

Sokka mumbled something quietly, and Katara frowned. “Huh? What’d you say?” She asked. “Speak up.”

“I don’t dislike Zuko,” Sokka said, and Katara could see him turning red even in the dim torchlight. “Actually, it’s the opposite.”

“Spirits, you have a crush on him, don’t you,” Katara said. 

Sokka nodded, looking at the floor. 

“Since when?” 

“Since the time we were all in the palace together, like two years ago. I thought I was being irrational, so I ran off home and I tried to forget him, I really did, but it didn’t work and eventually I had to come to terms with the fact that yeah, maybe I also like guys, and maybe the guy I happen to like currently is the fucking Firelord. So when father said he needed an ambassador to the Fire Nation to make sure agreements between our countries were kept, and to help forge new agreements, I took the chance. I thought I could come here, maybe confess my feelings, sweep Zuko off his feet, et cetera.”

“But you didn’t know he and Mai had broken up,” Katara said, frowning. Sokka just shrugged.

“Yeah, but I knew they didn’t really like each other. I mean, in the letters Zuko wrote that actually made it to the South Pole, he hardly mentioned her. But then when I came here I thought that was because… you know. I thought you two were together. And I didn’t want to get in the way of that.”

“So, to be clear, you thought the best way to get over your crush on Zuko when you thought he and I were together was to be an asshole?”

“Well, yeah! I mean, I figured if Zuko started to not like me I could eventually end up not liking him either.”

“And you claim to be the ‘plan guy.’ Sokka, you could’ve told me, you know. We could’ve cleared up all this confusion weeks ago.”

“I’m sorry, I know I should’ve talked to you. I guess I was still kind of embarrassed to admit I liked a guy. You’re the only person who knows, at this point, and it was an accident.”

“None of our friends are going to judge you for this,” Katara reassured him, smiling.

“If you think that, why haven’t you told anyone that you’re with Mai?”

“Zuko knows! And Aang, too. I’m not scared.”

“I never said you were, but you’d have reason to be. So do I,” whispered Sokka. He looked embarrassed, and confused, and Katara wished she could help, but she knew he was right. She knew she was afraid, and she knew Zuko and Aang only knew because they’d guessed. 

“Look, Sokka, maybe you’re right. Maybe I am scared. But I’m also happy, and Mai is great, and I don’t want to ruin that,” Katara said. “I’m late to see her, I have to go. But I hope we can both figure things out.”

* * *

For the first week after Sokka confessed to her, Katara didn’t see him at all. She gave him space, hoping something would change, but also not quite knowing what she could hope for. Even if Sokka knew now that Zuko was, in fact, single, he still didn’t know if Zuko liked boys. Plus, weeks of being mean to Zuko had taken their toll on the friendship between the two. 

Katara shouldn’t have worried. Sokka was nothing if not determined once he got his mind set on something, and the current plan seemed to be getting back into Zuko’s good graces. Zuko seemed eager to accept his reaching out, if a bit cautious. Katara was glad her brother and her friend were getting along again, even if it meant the whispers from the council about “nefarious Water Tribe influences” had increased tenfold. 

Katara and Mai were sitting in the courtyard together on a hot summer’s day, sipping from drinks with ice that never melted, thanks to Katara, when the entrance doors banged open to the sound of sword on sword. Neither of them even looked up. Mai rolled her eyes. Sokka and Zuko were always sparring, and they always ended up getting out of the training grounds and into the palace. On one memorable occasion, Zuko had been so focused on beating Sokka that they accidentally made their way to the throne room and nearly removed a council member’s hand. 

(The sparring was part of Sokka’s master plan to get Zuko to fall in love with him, Katara knew. This master plan also seemed to involve a lot of bad jokes and running to Katara in a panic every time Zuko complimented or insulted Sokka, but she wasn’t about to mention that to him.)

Katara watched as Zuko was backed towards the turtleduck pond by Sokka, who had a determined grin on his face. Zuko leapt onto the raised edge of the pond, and Sokka jumped up after him. They exchanged blows for a few moments, until Sokka lost his footing and fell into the pond. Zuko stood, looking down at the sopping wet Sokka, and laughed in his face. “I won this one, right?” he asked, grinning. 

Sokka grumbled something that Katara couldn’t quite hear, but apparently it was very funny, because Zuko giggled in response. He offered a hand to Sokka, who reached up to grab it, but instead of standing, Sokka pulled Zuko down off his feet into the pond. Zuko’s sword went flying, and he fell practically on top of Sokka. “Hey!” Zuko shouted. “Not fair!”

Mai and Katara just laughed. The sun was high in the sky, they were all happy, and everything was so good.

* * *

Nothing good ever lasted in the Fire Nation. Only days after Mai, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko were all happily spending time together, there was another attempt on Zuko’s life. This one nearly got him: the assassin had slipped a slow-acting poison into Zuko’s food, one that took a few days but eventually reduced him to a shivering, fevery mess. Katara refused any ingredients from the royal kitchen, opting instead to buy her own produce and cook Zuko’s food herself. No one was allowed to visit Zuko other than Katara, Mai, and Kasami, the only physician Katara even remotely trusted. Even Sokka wasn’t allowed in, for fear that people would talk about the Water Tribe ambassador being given special treatment over even the Firelord’s own council. 

The sickness wouldn’t go away, until Kasami finally figured out that whoever had attempted this hadn’t been lacing Zuko’s food at all; they’d instead spread a thin residue of poison on the inside of Zuko’s cup, which he always drank out of from the very fear of poison. His reasoning being that if someone slipped something into a pitcher, or one of the kitchen cups, it would never reach him. Katara took the cup and shattered it against the floor in anger when Kasami pointed out the barely-visible shimmer of poison coating it. She swept up the shards of porcelain and threw them out, then walked into town and bought a new cup off of a commoner family far from the Firelord’s palace. Cups from merchants who knew Katara as part of the Firelord’s inner circle would be more likely to attempt something similar to the poison-laced cup. A random family living on the edge of the city, however? Much less likely. Plus, Katara’s coins meant a lot more to them than they’d mean to any merchant. 

  
Katara hurried through the darkened palace, the new cup clutched in her hand. They’d have to be careful, they’d have to rotate Zuko’s cups, probably have to inspect them for traces of poisons, although she had no idea how anyone could manage that. Katara was so distracted by her own thoughts that she didn’t notice the eerie silence of the palace halls until she reached Zuko’s room.  _ That’s strange, _ Katara thought.  _ Where are the guards? _ She reached out a hand to knock on the door, but it swung open suddenly and Katara was yanked forward into a darkened room. 


	2. Being So Far Away Is Such A Shame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Firelord and his waterbender have died, leaving Mai and Sokka to pick up the pieces and clean up the mess. The Fire Nation is in turmoil, the assassins have run aground, and what’s more, no one seems to be able to locate the bodies of Zuko and Katara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title from Wish U Were Here by Pale Waves.

Sokka felt like he was living in someone else’s body. Or maybe like he was a ghost. He wasn’t really in the right mindset to come up with a fitting metaphor for his situation. He was just walking, pacing the length of his small room in the embassy, trying to distract himself by moving. It was better than just crying, or getting angry at Fire Nation guards. Both of which seemed to be the only things he could bring himself to do. 

" _Wh_ _ at the fuck do you mean, there’s no body? She was my sister, she deserves-” He remembered shouting. The guard had looked apologetic, but shook his head and said that there was nothing he could do, and they were under strict orders to keep everyone out of the palace. “No point in defending it, not if he’s dead,” Sokka had said bitterly as he turned and left. _

The news had come in the form of a letter from Mai. She hadn’t even been able to tell Sokka in person, because the whole palace was on lockdown. When Sokka had read those words, the words that said Katara and Zuko were dead, that her grandmother’s betrothal necklace and his swords had been found on the floor coated in blood and ash, he’d wanted not to believe it. Then he’d started crying.

That first night, Sokka had cried until his head ached. He’d dug his palms into his eyes, trying to stop the flow of tears, but it hadn’t worked. This was worse than the Fire Nation taking his mother: Sokka had no one to direct his emotions at, no concrete target to focus on taking down. No one knew who’d killed Katara, there weren’t even any suspects. He couldn’t make plans, couldn’t train himself to face whoever did this. All he could do was cry. 

People sometimes said that crying was cathartic, that tears could be cleansing. Sokka was sure now that must be a lie, something crafted to give those on the sidelines of sadness an excuse to say nothing. His grief was like a tsunami, crashing over him in sudden waves, destroying everything, and leaving an excess of water even after it receded. The days felt tedious, hazy, almost alien. The nights were somehow worse. 

It was hard enough not think of Katara throughout the day, of their years and years of shared history, growing up as the designated protectors of their struggling village, all the battles they fought side by side, every time she’d been brave where he hadn’t. She’d saved him so many times, and he’d never thanked her.

It was also hard enough not to think of Zuko, his enemy-turned-friend who’d never quite known how to smile, the person Sokka could’ve maybe been in love with if he hadn’t been so afraid. He’d debated and argued with himself, going back and forth on whether he should tell Zuko how he felt or not, and now it was too late. 

And that was all while Sokka was fully conscious and in control. Every time he slept, his dreams ran wild, and he seemed to always remember them. If he’d just insisted on visiting Katara and Zuko while the Firelord was sick, if he’d been able to come up with a plan to protect them, if he’d been a better brother and a better friend, maybe the two people he loved could still be alive. Those thoughts echoed through his dreams, and he woke up wracked with silent sobs, cursing the world for not giving him the chance.

All that to say, Sokka didn’t sleep much. So when a quiet knock came on his door late at night, exactly twenty days since Katara and Zuko had died, he was there instantly. It was Mai, her hair a mess, dark circles under her eyes. She stood in the doorway and, before Sokka could figure out what exactly he could say to her, pulled a rusting old key from her pocket. “I know who did it,” she rasped, with the voice of someone who hadn’t slept in days. “And I know where we can find them.”

* * *

Sokka didn’t need to hear another word. He belted on his sword, picked up his boomerang, and followed Mai out of his room and into the streets of the capitol city. The streets had been dark the first few days after Zuko’s death, in memory of the late Firelord, but by now they’d returned to some semblance of normal. The lanterns were lit, as always. It was almost as if nothing had happened, which made a back part of Sokka’s mind sad, but not enough for him to care. Sadness had overwhelmed him, made him numb. The anger he felt now, however, was burning hot, giving him a new purpose. A new target. 

Mai explained to him, as they walked, that there had been no breach of outside security. Katara and Zuko had been killed by someone on the inside. It had taken her days to figure out, but eventually she’d discovered it: a map of the underground bunker of the Firelords showed a passage that led directly into Zuko’s chambers. “Azula gave me a key to a back door of the bunker passages, once upon a time. I can get us in, and we can find the people who killed them, and make them pay.” 

Sokka nodded, tightening his grip on his sword. This wouldn’t be easy, two non-benders taking on an unknown number of unknown assailants. But he found he didn’t really care. There was no plan, no backup. Only revenge. 

Mai unlocked the back entrance, and they descended a narrow ladder into the darkness below. Sokka took the lead, drawing his sword. There was no light, only the faint sound of Mai’s breathing and the slightly damp smell of the bunker. As they walked, Sokka began to see a flickering of light at the end of the tunnel. Mai’s suspicions had been correct, there was someone down here. 

They slowed down as they got closer to the end of the tunnel, but no one was in sight, so Mai and Sokka slipped out of the side tunnel into the main hallway, which was lit up by torches on the walls. “Who’s there?” came a man’s voice, and Sokka spotted him, peeking out from the door that led to the underground throne chamber. 

So quickly Sokka barely saw, Mai had thrown three of her knives at the man, pinning him to the wall. Sokka sprinted towards him, pressing his sword into the man’s throat. “Did you do it?” he hissed, his anger and hurt seeping into the words. “Did you kill them?”

“Kill who?” the man gasped, his wide eyes darting from Sokka to Mai, who stood to the side with knives raised. 

“The Firelord and his healer. Did you kill them?”

“Well, technically, I mean,-” the man stammered, but it was clear to Sokka he was at least somewhat guilty. 

“An innocent man would’ve just said no,” Mai said, her voice calm but deadly. Sokka nodded in agreement.

“Please, I promise you, it wasn’t me, I’m just the messenger, I didn’t even step foot in the palace!” the man begged, but Sokka barely heard him. His grip on his sword handle tightened. “You’ll tell us who’s behind this operation, you’ll tell us where we can find them, and we might let you live an extra day,” Sokka said. 

“They’re in the old throne room! We aren’t allowed in, but that’s where all the important people are,” he said, voice trembling. 

“There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Mai said. “Sokka, knock him out.”

“But I told you-” 

The man was cut off by Sokka hitting him hard on the head with the base of his sword. “Let’s go,” he said, laying the man gently on the ground. Their real targets were waiting. 

The throne room door was locked, but that wasn’t a problem for Mai; she apparently also had a key for this. She pushed open the door quickly, and Sokka was through it, holding his sword ready. He looked around, taking in the strange room. There was no throne here anymore, and the whole room had been painted in a harsh white. There were cots, the type used in field hospitals during wartime, scattered around the room. Most of them were occupied; maybe this was some sort of infirmary for assassins? A couple of people dressed in a similar white shade to the walls milled around, most of them holding scrolls and writing things on them as they looked over the patients. One section of the room had been blocked off with metal and glass, like some sort of observation chamber. Sokka barely had time to take all this in before everything erupted into chaos. 

The two physicians, or whatever they were, began to yell for help. Mai was running already, hurling her knives, but they’d already called, and from a side door two people dressed in Fire Nation guards’ armor came running. One of them sent a blast of flame towards Sokka, who dropped to the ground and rolled to avoid it. “Don’t burn them! You’ll damage the subjects!” one of the physicians yelled.    


“You don’t want them burned, get them out of here,” one of the guards said, and Sokka spotted one of the white uniformed people hand the other a ring of keys. He wanted to see where they were going, but then the other guard was upon him, with a broadsword that took all of Sokka’s strength to block. He was out of practice, hadn’t sparred since Zuko had first gotten sick. At least this guard wasn’t a bender; Sokka still had a chance.

He parried one blow, then another, trying to figure out the guard’s attack pattern and how he could slip through it. Distantly, he was aware of Mai fighting the firebender. Another blow, another near miss.  _ Come on, Sokka, you can figure this out, _ he berated himself as the guard’s sword sliced through the loose fabric of Sokka’s shirt, barely missing his side.  _ There. _ The guard was good, but always took a small step back before attacking. Sokka could use that. Thinking of Suki and her Kyoshi techniques, Sokka saw the guard step back, stood his ground until the last moment, and then slipped out of range. The sword hit the ground, and Sokka was suddenly there, his sword slipped between the chestplate and shoulder piece of the guard’s armor. He sliced, hard, and then danced back, narrowly avoiding being struck. A broadsword took two arms, and with one injured, Sokka was easily able to defeat the guard. He struck with a few quick jabs, in places he knew the armor was weak, and the guard eventually let go of the sword, unable to hold it up. 

The guard went on his knees in front of Sokka, clearly admitting defeat. Behind him was Mai, who whispered, “the firebender’s taken care of,” before backing off.

“You’ve bested me, stranger. Show mercy, please,” the guard said. 

“Do you know who did it? Who killed the Firelord?” Mai asked.

“The Firelord? This is a facility for the study of bending. There are no killers here, except maybe the subjects of the experiments.”

“What do you mean, subjects? What is this place, if not an assassin’s den?” Sokka asked, intrigued despite himself.

“I, and the scientists you saw earlier, are part of a society of ordinary people, like yourselves. Non-benders. We’re trying to find out where bending comes from, and how it works. Why are some born with this gift, and others relegated to sit on the sidelines and watch them? Benders cause so much strife in this world, at the expense of ordinary people. If we could just find a way to level the playing field, maybe.”

“You mean like give non-benders the ability to bend?” Sokka asked. He should be concentrating, should be leaving, this obviously wasn’t a safe place even if it wasn’t the home of assassins like he’d thought. But he couldn’t keep from being curious. And he had to admit, he’d had similar thoughts. Why could his sister bend, but not him or his parents? How did all of the Firelords always end up being able to bend? What was it about most of his friends that marked them as magical, while marking him as ordinary? 

“Well, that’s one possibility. Interesting, but seemingly impossible. We have, however, made significant progress on the idea of  _ removing  _ bending.”

“Like chi blocking?” Mai said, referencing the technique her friend Tai Lee would use in battle to stop benders from bending.

“Similar, but our goal is to make something permanent. Something that will render a bender completely without their abilities, with no way to get them back. That puts everyone on an even playing field. If you’re interested, I could introduce you to the scientists. We could use strong fighters like you.”

It wasn’t every day that you pressed a sword to someone’s throat and they offered you a job. Sokka’s mind was reeling, still trying to work out what exactly was going on. Then he heard Mai gasp. “What is it?” he asked, and she was holding one of the scrolls the scientists had left on a back table.

“These people… Sokka, these people have Zuko and Katara. They’re alive.”

Sokka almost dropped his sword from the shock. “What do you mean?” he said. There was no way.  _ Don’t give me hope, not if it’s not true, _ he thought desperately, because losing them once had been hard enough. “These papers, they describe the test subjects. Most of them are firebenders, but there’s one they’ve been testing on who’s a waterbender. They say she tried to escape multiple times, that they had to restrain and sedate her. She was brought here twenty days ago, along with a firebender with a red burn mark on his face. It has to be them.”

“You lied,” he said to the guard. “You do have the Firelord and his healer.” 

“On a technicality, I didn’t lie. You ask if I’d killed them. I did not. I simply had them both captured,” the guard said. Sokka narrowed his eyes. 

“Mai, would you do me a favor and take off our friend’s helmet?” he asked, nodding at the guard. 

Mai carefully made her way over and yanked off the helmet. Sokka recognized the face of the woman underneath, as he thought he would. “You’re the assassin from the Firelord’s birthday, who stabbed him and ran,” Sokka said, letting the tip of his sword press into her throat. 

“I was not an assassin, I was merely trying to judge his healer’s abilities. People whispered that she was a waterbender, but I didn’t know for certain until I saw her heal him.”

“And then you ran off down here, bided your time, used the tunnels to get into Zuko’s rooms, captured them both to do your experiments on, right?” Sokka said, barely able to believe it. Maybe Katara and Zuko weren’t dead, maybe he could still do something. 

The woman gave a small smile. “Yes. There aren’t many waterbenders around, you understand. It was necessary. As for the Firelord, well, his family is unique, even if he himself is somewhat of an unremarkable bender. We thought it would be beneficial to run tests on both of them.”

“Why couldn’t you just ask them? Get permission, or something? Did you really have to capture them?” Sokka knew it was ridiculous even as he said it. Neither Zuko nor Katara would ever do something that might force them to give up bending. Even though he was angry, he could see the logic behind the plans made to capture them. 

“No bender would give up their power, and that’s what makes them so dangerous. Plus, the experiments we run are not always… pleasant. An unfortunate problem, but the pain of a few benders is the price we must pay for equality in this world.”

This woman wasn’t fully sane, Sokka realized. Bending might give someone an advantage in a fight, but the solution to that wasn’t capturing and torturing benders. “Take us to the waterbender,” he said to the woman, gesturing for her to stand. “And if you ran these ‘unpleasant’ experiments on her, you can expect far worse than a sword to your throat.”

The woman led them down a back door into a side chamber, which had various darkened hallways branching off it. Sokka and Mai both kept their weapons on hand just in case. “This is her cell,” the woman said, gesturing down one of the dark hallways. “We keep them without light, makes it harder for the firebenders.”

Sokka left the guard with Mai and made his way down the hallway and was soon unable to see. “Katara?” he called, his heart thundering in his chest.  _ What if she’s not here, what if that woman lied, what if this is all a trap?  _

He hadn’t needed to worry. “Who’s there?” came a response, Katara’s voice, quiet and sounding as if she hadn’t had any water to drink in a long time, but there.

“Katara! It’s Sokka. Me and Mai are here to get you out of here. Where are you? I can’t see anything.” He was rambling, he knew. He couldn’t help himself. She was alive, thank the spirits. She was alive and she was here, and this wasn’t a trap after all. 

“I’m on the ground,” Katara said, her voice raspy. “They have me tied up. This room isn’t very big, I-  _ ow!  _ You just stepped on my hand! _ ” _

Sokka took a step back gingerly. “Sorry. Are the shackles metal? If there’s a key somewhere, I could try to find it.” 

“No!” said Katara. “Don’t leave. Please. Do you have your sword?”

“Of course.”

“The bonds are just rope. You can cut through them.”

“Katara, I can’t see anything. I’m going to hurt you.”

“I don’t care,” she said, her voice fierce. “This place is horrible. They barely give me enough water to survive, because they’re afraid I’ll escape, and those scientists keep trying to cut things out of me and making me swallow disgusting crap. I was starting to think that… that I’d be stuck here forever.” 

Sokka wasn’t aware that he had the capacity to get even angrier than he had been after interrogating the guard-assassin-society leader from earlier, but the fact that his little sister had begun to give up, his sister who had always looked for a way out no matter what, made his blood boil. He felt around by his feet for Katara’s hands, which were bound by rope just as she’d said, and carefully began to cut at the rope with his sword. He nicked her hands a few times, but eventually she was free, and he helped her to her feet. “We have to free the others,” Katara said, and Sokka nodded, though she couldn’t see it. “This is no way for anyone to live,” he said. “And I can’t help but think the lady in charge of this place is a tad off her rocker.” 

When they exited the tunnel, Mai and the woman were still there. In the light of the hallway, Katara looked terrible. Her lips were cracked, and there were multiple bandages around different spots on her arms. The skin at her wrists was reddened, and her hands were covered in small cuts from Sokka’s sword. Katara smiled when she saw Mai, and then winced as the dry skin on her lips cracked and split. “She needs water,” Sokka said to Mai, who pulled out a small flask and offered it to Katara. The two girls had almost instinctively moved side by side, and Mai put an arm around Katara comfortingly, while still wielding a knife in the other. 

Sokka snatched a torch off the wall and headed down the next tunnel, on the lookout for Zuko. The occupant of this cell, however, was a sleeping young girl, and was definitely not Zuko. Sokka bent down to shake her awake anyway, noticing the bruises across her back that must’ve been from chi blocking attacks. The girl’s eyes flew open and she glanced around frantically. “I’m here to rescue you,” Sokka said, trying to sound reassuring. “My sister got captured here too. We’re going to break you out, it’s okay.”

Katara quickly regained some of her strength, and she and Sokka went to the various cells freeing their inmates. Sokka was surprised at how many benders were captured here: though Katara was the only waterbender, there were at least fifteen different firebenders of varying ages and three very young earthbenders who had been kept in the most secure conditions of anyone, and also seemed to not fully have a grasp on bending yet. However, Zuko was yet to turn up in any of the cells. 

They all gathered together at the end of the hallway, all the benders and Mai and Sokka and their imprisoned leader of this operation, and Sokka asked, “Where is he? Where’s the Firelord?” 

The woman gave a small smirk and said, “I’m afraid that when you and your friend rudely interrupted us, we were in the middle of trying out a new procedure on him. He’s probably back in the scientists’ chambers.”

Something about the way she said ‘scientists’ chambers’ was a bit unsettling to Sokka, but he ignored it. “You two get them all out of here, and I’ll find Zuko. Shouldn’t be too hard to take down a couple of scientists, right?” he said to Mai and Katara, feeling a lot more confident than he was. 

“Are we taking her?” Mai asked, gesturing at the woman.

“I mean, you are captain of the Firelord’s guard, and she is an assassin who attempted to kill and capture him, so you decide what to do with her.”

Mai bound the woman’s hands and then led the group of benders down the hall to the secret side entrance she had a key to. Sokka rolled his shoulders and then went back into the old throne room to try and find the scientists’ chambers and, hopefully, Zuko. 

* * *

The lanterns were out in the throne room when Sokka pushed open the door. His eyes were still adjusting to the darkness when someone jumped out of the shadows and lunged at him. Sokka jumped back, barely avoiding the dagger they held. His hand went to his boomerang and he launched it into the darkness, holding his sword up to block another strike from the dagger-bearer. He heard a shout of pain from the dark room; his boomerang must’ve done its job. Sokka backed up, drawing his attacker into the light of the hallway, and was dismayed to see he was facing off against two attackers. Both the scientists who’d run earlier were also apparently good at fighting. Not as good as Sokka, but there were two of them versus one of him. That evened the playing field enough that Sokka was losing ground. 

He got injured a few times; a long gash on his calf that was steadily streaming blood, a cut on his arm where the wristguard met his glove, a few cuts on his fingers from difficult blocking positions. Backed into a corner, Sokka struggled to stave off the attacks. They had long daggers, which allowed them to get in closer and made it awkward for him to hit them with his sword. He threw in a few kicks now and then, but it was clear he didn’t have the stamina to win this fight. Nights upon nights of minimal sleep, having gone for a while without practice, and the pain from his injuries were making it hard for him to even keep his grip on his sword, let alone win, but he wasn’t going to give up. He had to keep going, for Zuko.  _ Because if I don’t, who knows what could happen to us.  _ Mai and Katara would come back for him, he knew, but that didn’t mean he’d still be here. They barely knew anything about these people. For all Sokka knew, this was only one of multiple hideouts they had. If he lost this fight, he might be the one being mourned as dead. 

Unfortunately for Sokka, the middle of a fight wasn’t the best time for pondering the possibilities of his future. One of the attackers viciously cut into Sokka’s gloved hand, piercing the thin leather and going through to skin. He gripped his sword to retaliate, and then winced at the pressure on his bleeding hand. The other attacker saw his chance and lunged, which Sokka pivoted to try and block, leaving his other side open. He saw his mistake, but it was too late, and the tip of the dagger was meeting his exposed side as if in slow motion. He screamed, he couldn’t help himself, as the blade was driven home, and he thought,  _ this can’t be it. This can’t be the end. _

The room suddenly got a lot brighter, and Sokka shut his eyes instinctively. He felt the pressure on the dagger blade lessen as the man who’d stabbed him yelled out in pain. There was a burning sensation, a feeling of intense heat, like fire.  _ Fire! _ Sokka’s eyes flew open and he saw the man who’s blade he’d been blocking had whirled around to look down the hall. Instinct took over and Sokka hit him once, twice, two quick slices across his arms and a final blow with the base of his sword to the base of his skull, knocking the man out cold. Sokka looked to his other side, where the other man in the pair lay, his clothing charred, the ends of his hair still smoking, as if right when he stabbed Sokka he’d been suddenly engulfed in flames. “You’re welcome,” said someone from the end of the hall, and Sokka’s head snapped up.

It was Zuko, leaning against the wall for support. He held Sokka’s boomerang in one hand. “It knocked out the guy restraining me, but I was still tied up, otherwise I would’ve been here earlier,” he explained, rubbing one hand on the back of his neck self-consciously. 

Sokka grinned, and ran down the hall, throwing his arms around Zuko. “You’re alive,” he said, and he felt Zuko hesitantly return the embrace. “Yeah, I mean, they couldn’t get rid of me that easy,” Zuko said shakily. “Were you worried?”

Sokka stepped back to look Zuko in the eye. “Of course I was worried! Everyone thought you and Katara were dead, and then we found Katara but you weren’t there, and these people are insane, so I thought you might…”

“It’s okay, Sokka. You got here before they started their experiment.” 

Sokka wanted to say that no, it wasn’t okay, because Zuko had been captured and he’d been ready to give up, that if it weren’t for Mai he’d never have saved Zuko and Katara, but he decided that train of thought might bring down the mood. So he just nodded, and smiled at Zuko, and tried really hard not to start crying. 

Zuko insisted that he bandage up Sokka’s wounds before they left, accompanied by the annoyingly accurate statement that “Katara would be really pissed if you came back bleeding all over the place.” Sokka sat on the ground and let Zuko wrap the wounds with bandages left over from the experimenters. It was comforting, having Zuko bandage him while they fell into their old rhythm of lightly poking fun at each other, and Sokka was struck by the (now familiar) feeling of his heart beating faster at Zuko’s laugh and Zuko’s touch.  _ I should tell him, _ Sokka thought hazily, but he didn’t want to ruin the moment. He never wanted to ruin the moment. Some part of him wondered if there would ever be a moment that was worth ruining. 

But maybe he could take it in small steps. Test the waters, the way you sent out one boat first and not the entire fleet at once. “I missed you,” Sokka said, not really looking at Zuko. Emotional vulnerability was not his strong suit. Zuko gave him a funny look, but smiled. “I… me too,” he said, turning away. “I mean, I missed everyone, but yeah. I missed you.”

“Zuko, I…” Sokka started, but then trailed off.  _ Small steps, _ he reminded himself. “Did you know about Mai and Katara?” he asked instead. 

“Yeah of course. I mean, they both work closely with me, it would’ve been hard for me not to notice.”

“And you didn’t like… think it was weird at all?”

Zuko shrugged. “Mai’s my ex girlfriend, but there’s no harsh feelings between us. She told me she, uh, she liked girls, that’s why we broke up.”

There was a slightly awkward pause, and then Zuko asked, “Why? Did you think it was weird?”

“Of course not! If she makes Katara happy, that’s good. It’s just not as usual in the Water Tribe for… you know. Two women to be together.”

Zuko stopped messing with the bandages to look at Sokka. “Is that a problem to you?” he asked, a cold edge to his voice. 

“No! I… was just surprised, I guess. I mean, I haven’t told many people but I’m the same way. I just didn’t know Katara was.” Sokka had to resist from screwing his eyes shut as he tried to play it off as a casual sentence.

“You mean you like girls? I think we all know that,” Zuko said with a snort, while he wound a bandage around Sokka’s leg. 

Sokka resisted the urge to punch Zuko. “No, you idiot, I mean I like both. I like girls and guys. Same as Katara.” His heart was pounding, and this time it had very little to do with Zuko’s fingers on his skin and a lot more to do with what he’d just said,  _ out loud, _ to Zuko. 

Zuko, underwhelming as always, just shrugged. “So, if you like both, shouldn’t it have been less of a surprise that Katara did too?”

Sokka considered just crawling away and pretending he’d never started this conversation. “Well, I mean, I think it’s just pretty rare, liking both. And she dated Aang, so I just assumed…”

Zuko laughed, actually  _ laughed, _ which was unfair because Sokka was very tired and also possibly a little bit flustered, and said, “So just because you’ve only dated girls, that means I should assume you only like girls? I dated Mai, does that mean  _ I  _ only like girls? That’s stupid.”

“What, you don’t only like girls?” Sokka said. This was too much. Zuko smiled again, clearly taking too much joy from Sokka’s obvious distress. “Yeah, I like everyone. I thought you knew,” Zuko said, and then turned away as if it were the most simple thing in the world he’d just told Sokka and not some life changing secret. 

“Look, I get it. Things are different in the Water Tribe. But in the Fire Nation, no one has ever really cared who you like or don’t like. The rule is you don’t make assumptions unless someone tells you themselves.” 

Sokka felt like he might start crying. Something he’d kept as such a big secret had been something Zuko had just  _ assumed _ about him, something that Zuko was too, and oh fuck Zuko was too. There was a chance, still slim because let’s be real Sokka was no romantic, but a chance nonetheless that Zuko would like him back. At the very least it was a possibility. 

“Well, since I’m from the Water Tribe, can I just say thanks for telling me. Even though it’s not a big deal to you,” Sokka said once his thoughts stopped spinning. 

“Of course,” Zuko said. “And you’re all patched up now. Let’s get out of here.” Zuko offered his hand, and Sokka took it. They walked out of the bunker together, and despite being tired and injured, Sokka was leaving with a bounciness in his step that was completely new to him. 

* * *

That night, the four of them holed up in the embassy, wanting to wait until daytime to deal with all the questions that would come from Zuko returning alive. Luckily, Sokka had his own private room at the embassy. Unfortunately, it only had one bed. He’d wanted to offer it to Katara and Mai, but Katara insisted he take the bed because of his injuries. “Mai and I can sleep on the sofas in the common area, but you need your rest, and the other Water Tribe ambassadors will definitely recognize Zuko,” Katara said, insisting they take the bed. Sokka was pretty sure she just wanted to torture him. This was further confirmed by the wink she shot him as he closed the door. Sokka rolled his eyes, wondering if he should offer to take the floor, but he was hit by a wave of tiredness and decided no, fuck that, if anyone was taking the floor it sure wasn’t him. “G’night, Zuko,” he said, flopping down on the bed and falling asleep almost instantly. He didn’t even hear Zuko’s response.

* * *

Sokka woke up to find his unconscious mind had betrayed him. He’d always moved around in his sleep, but this was just comical. Somehow, he’d ended up curled right next to Zuko, with his arms circling Zuko’s body and his head resting partially on Zuko’s shoulder. He couldn’t tell if Zuko was awake or not, and he wasn’t sure if he should move or not. Zuko seemed comfortable, at least, and he was really warm (maybe that was a firebender thing?) and Sokka was still sleepy, so he opted to stay there. For completely logical and not-at-all crush related reasons, of course. 

Zuko began to mutter in his sleep, which Sokka tried not to listen to, but it was hard when they were alone in a quiet room. Mostly it was nonsense, with a few words Sokka could recognize, like ‘Father’ and ‘honor’ and other typical Zuko things. He wondered if Zuko might be having a nightmare. “Zuko?” he whispered, tilting his head back to look at him. 

Okay, definitely a nightmare. Zuko’s face was all scrunched up, like he was angry at someone. Sokka gently lifted his head, then his body, extracting his arms from around Zuko. “Hey, buddy, wake up. You’re dreaming, you’re fine,” he said, gently shaking Zuko’s shoulder. 

Almost instantly Zuko’s eyes flew open. “It’s okay,” Sokka said, not really sure what you were supposed to say to someone who’d just been having a nightmare. “I thought you were having a bad dream, so I woke you up. Sorry.”

Zuko blinked a couple of times, then swung his legs over the edge of the bed and sat up. “Don’t apologize. It was a bad dream,” he said, rubbing his eyes.

“Well then, you’re welcome for waking you up,” Sokka said, shifting his position so he sat beside Zuko. He was glad he’d woken up first, so that the middle of the night cuddling was something only he knew about. “What was it about?” 

“Oh you know. The usual. Shitty fathers who give you scars and kick you out of your own nation because you didn’t have enough ‘honor’ when you were thirteen.” Zuko said it like it was supposed to make Sokka laugh, but there was an edge of bitterness to the words, like there always was when Zuko spoke about Ozai. 

There was a knock on the door, followed by the door being opened anyway. “Good, you’re awake,” said Mai. “The palace is still supposed to be in mourning, but the council are debating what to do about the succession. Since Zuko has no heirs, and Azula has been written out of the line for the throne, it should go to Iroh, but I’ve heard rumors that certain nobles are trying to claim distant relations as why they should take the throne instead.”

“We have to make this convincing,” said Katara. “We know Zuko is the real Zuko, but some of the higher council have wanted him gone and have taken this as an opportunity to further their agendas. Therefore, they’ll go to any and all lengths to claim this resurrection is false. Mai will get Zuko and I into the palace, and we can take the council by surprise.”

“I’m coming with you,” Sokka said. “You never know when an extra fighter might be useful.”

Katara looked like she wanted to argue, but Mai nodded in agreement and Zuko didn’t object, so she said nothing. Sokka’s wounds were still relatively fresh, but it was appearances that mattered. Plus, he’d fought while injured before. At least he wouldn’t be tired this time. 

The sun was rising in the sky when the four of them slipped out of the embassy. Mai told Zuko not to hide his face, because the Firelord’s return would be more believable if more people saw him. Zuko, however, did not do a very good job of acting like a Firelord. He kept staring at the ground, and would look away whenever he spotted someone looking at him. Sokka walked up to Zuko and nudged him in the shoulder. “Look alive, Zuko. No one’s going to recognize you as their all-important Firelord if you can’t look them in the eye.”

“I don’t like them looking at me,” Zuko grumbled, continuing to look at the ground. 

“Okay, then don’t look at them. Just look at me.”

Zuko lifted his head to roll his eyes at Sokka. “There, that’s it! Just keep doing that,” Sokka said.

Zuko looked even more annoyed, if that were possible. “Don’t patronize me,” he said, but he was loosening up. 

Encouraged, Sokka tried to keep up the conversation. “So, Firelord, what are your first plans when you get back to your palace? Are you going to congratulate the brave warrior who saved you back from the depths of despair?” Annoying Zuko was Sokka’s specialty, and he knew that it would keep Zuko’s eyes up off the ground, if only because he would want Sokka to see the full extent of every time he rolled his eyes.

“You did not save me. If anything,  _ I  _ saved  _ you _ ,” Zuko said.

“I had things completely under control, thank you very much.”

“Yeah right. That dagger was halfway inside you.”

“All part of my master plan.”

Zuko snorted. “When one of your plans works out, let me know.”

“Ha! Foiled again! You’re not looking at the ground anymore. Another success for Master Planner Sokka.” 

Zuko gave Sokka a look and then went back to looking at the ground. Sokka sighed. It had been worth the effort, at the least. And they were nearly at the palace. Now they had to be more cautious, and Sokka kept a wary hand on his sword just in case. Mai led them through a back entrance, telling the guards at the door to make sure no one was let in or out of the palace until she gave the order. The council members were probably just finishing their breakfasts when the four of them entered the throne room.

Zuko usually held meetings in his offices, but according to Mai, the council had been meeting in the throne room since Zuko’s apparent death. The wall of fire that usually separated the Firelord’s throne from the council had been extinguished in mourning, but Zuko lit it back up with a few quick bursts of fire. Katara and Mai took their usual places standing on either side of Zuko. Sokka had given Katara her necklace which had been given to him after her supposed death, and she was dressed in Water Tribe clothing they’d found at the embassy. Mai had somehow had time to tidy her hair and get herself and Zuko fresh clothes. All three of them seemed completely put together and preparted. Sokka was unsure what he should do with himself: the three of them took their positions so naturally, leaving him feeling like the fifth wheel out of four people. He ended up just standing awkwardly on the left side of Zuko’s throne, behind Katara. 

Something in Zuko seemed to have shifted. He sat completely straight in the throne, the flames leaping around him reflecting ominously in his eyes. He looked like a Firelord, Sokka thought, which was stupid because Zuko was the Firelord and therefore  _ always _ looked like a Firelord, but sometimes Sokka forgot. It was easy, when they were sparring together or making fun of each other, for Sokka to slip into thinking Zuko was just another person. Just another person who Sokka was, at this point, completely in love with, but still just a guy. Whenever Zuko sat on that throne, though, Sokka was forcibly reminded that Zuko was the powerful leader of a foreign nation. It was like Yue all over again, except his chance was probably even smaller with Zuko, since he was too scared to even think about confessing. 

Sokka’s thoughts were interrupted by the huge front doors being opened. The council members were all chatting amongst themselves outside, but all the talking stopped dead when they noticed Zuko on his throne, with the wall of fire lit up. “Wh- how- who are you, and what are you doing on the Firelord’s throne?” one of the council members asked, finally breaking the silence.

“Surely I haven’t been gone that long, councilor Huazo. I hope you still recognize me,” Zuko said, and Sokka saw him raise his hand slightly, making the wall of flames leap up momentarily. A couple of the council members flinched. 

“Where have you been, Firelord?” one of the other councilors said, stepping forward into a bow. 

“There were assassins in the palace. I was captured, along with Master Katara. Captain Mai and Ambassador Sokka from the Water Tribe managed to break us free and arrest the leader of the assassins. I apologize for worrying you all, but I had no way to communicate from where they’d captured me.”

“Could you not break out yourself? Surely a powerful bender like yourself wouldn’t need a couple of commoners to rescue you,” councillor Huazo said. Sokka got the feeling she was one of the people who’d been a bit too eager to move on to a new Firelord after Zuko’s death. 

“They’re hardly a couple of commoners, councillor. Both Mai and Sokka are trained fighters.”

“Something about this is suspicious,” one of the other councillors said. “You and the Water Tribe girl disappear, and then suddenly you’re being brought back by the Water Tribe ambassador?”

“May I remind you that we are no longer at war, councillor. The Water Tribe and the Fire Nation are supposed to be at peace. Sokka and Katara were not behind this. In fact, I believe Captain Mai has the leader of those who captured me in her custody, if you’d like to interrogate her.”

It was like Zuko was a completely different person when he addressed his council. Confident, cold, unwavering. It reminded Sokka of the way he’d thought of Zuko before he’d changed to their side. 

“Let us discuss with you without these outside meddlers around, Firelord,” one of the councillors said, giving Sokka a suspicious look. “Should I go?” Sokka asked under his breath. Zuko nodded. “I’ll be out there in a minute.”

Sokka and Katara walked down from the raised platform the throne was on and exited past the councillors. When they exited, the doors slammed closed. “He’ll be fine,” Katara said, glancing back at the doors. “No one in there will attack him.” 

Sokka still worried. He waited in the hallway outside the throne room, pacing back and forth. Katara left, off to let the education minister know she was actually alive or something like that, which left Sokka on his own to think about every possible thing that could go wrong. He could occasionally hear raised voices coming from the throne room, but nothing more than that. 

It was nearly dark outside by the time the council members all filed out of the throne room, one by one, and Sokka took that as his cue to walk in. Zuko was slumped back in the throne, the confident facade of earlier completely gone. He sat up when he heard Sokka enter. “I was going to ask how it went, but I’m guessing it didn’t go great,” Sokka said, and Zuko laughed. “Spirits, I thought you were one of them coming back to ask me the same questions  _ again. _ You’d think as government leaders they’d be able to retain information for more than five minutes.” 

“They believed you at least,” Sokka said. Zuko sighed. “They should believe me without having to explain. I just don’t know what I have to do to prove that I know what I’m doing. Every time I do what they ask of me, they begin to think I can be easily manipulated, but every time I push back they say I’m a traitor and a bad leader. There’s no winning. Plus now the ones who  _ do _ support me want me to get married, since the succession is ambiguous without Azula or an heir.”

“And you don’t want that?” Sokka asked, leaning against the side of the throne. 

“I mean, yeah, I want to get married, but… not politically, you know? It’s stupid, I’ve always known I would probably end up in a marriage of convenience, but I don’t want that.”

Sokka nodded empathetically. “What’s stopping you? You’re the Firelord, if you want to marry for love, you should just do it. Who cares if you have to wait around until you meet the right person?”

“Aside from the succession issue, the problem isn’t exactly that I have to wait around,” Zuko said, and he turned his face away from Sokka. “The problem is there is someone, but I can’t pursue them because I’m… me. I mean, no one’s going to be romantically into me, even if I like them.”

Sokka didn’t know how to respond without being incredibly obvious and embarrassing.  _ There’s at least one person who’s “romantically into you”, I know that from personal experience, _ he thought. Out loud, he said, “What makes you think that? I mean, you’re… you’re not bad looking, and you’re powerful, and your personality is fine.”

Zuko laughed. “Ah yes, the most desirable trait, ‘not bad looking’.” 

“You know what I mean,” Sokka said, feeling his face heat up. 

Zuko turned to face Sokka, grinning. “What if I don’t know what you mean?” 

Sokka had managed to cheer up Zuko, but at what cost? He sighed. “I’m not going to tell you why you’re hot, Zuko. That’s what girlfriends are for. Or boyfriends,” he added, somewhat awkwardly. 

“So you think I’m hot?” Zuko asked, and this really wasn’t fair at all because Sokka could’ve listed a million things that he found attractive about Zuko. Instead, he said, “No, I don’t. But someone might. Someone probably does.”

Zuko rolled his eyes. “You’re not very good at being encouraging, you know.”

“I’m practical,” Sokka said. “If you want encouragement you should talk to Katara.”

“Okay Mister Practical, answer me this. What would you do, if you were in my situation? Take an arranged marriage, or try and pursue someone who  _ might _ like me?”

Sokka wanted to say the second one. He wanted to tell Zuko to follow his heart, because maybe Sokka was mean to Zuko and maybe they were, at best, awkward friends, but at least he might have a chance. At least Zuko’s heart might lead him to Sokka.  _ You’d tell him to do something you can’t even do yourself?  _ A voice in his head said, and Sokka felt something sink inside him.  _ If it were me, I’d take the easy way out,  _ he thought.  _ If it were me, I’d be too scared. I’m already too scared. _

“I say go for the arranged marriage. At least… at least it won’t be up to chance, then. At least you’ll know who’s willing to be with you and it won’t be a guessing game. And you won’t get hurt that way.” 

There was an awkward silence, then Zuko said, “On second thought, maybe it’s not the best idea to ask for love advice from the guy whose girlfriend got turned into the moon.”

“Hey, you asked the question! How was I supposed to know that there was a right answer?”

“C’mon Sokka, surely you wouldn’t settle for someone you didn’t like much if you hadn’t even tried to talk to someone you did.”

“You’d be surprised,” Sokka said.

“Oh, shut up. I’ve heard the stories. You’re supposedly very confident with the ladies.”

Zuko was clearly teasing, trying to brighten the mood, and Sokka appreciated it, but he couldn’t do this. He couldn’t talk about love with Zuko, not without saying something stupid. “I’ve got to go,” he said, hurrying down the steps and out the double doors without another word. He heard Zuko call his name, but he ignored it.

* * *

Sokka ended up knocking on Katara’s door. She was the only person who knew, the only one who could knock some sense into him. “Coming!” she called from inside, and a minute later the door opened. “What do you want?” she asked when she saw him. “I’m busy.”

“Who is it?” came Mai’s voice from inside the room, and Katara’s cheeks flushed. “My brother,” she responded. “I’ll be back in a second.”

“You- she- um. Nevermind,” Sokka stammered. “I just. I was talking to Zuko, and-” 

“What did you say to him this time?” Katara asked, raising one eyebrow. 

“Nothing! I mean, I told him that he should accept an arranged marriage because it was better than trying to find love, but-”

“Sokka, if you need me to tell you that was a stupid move, I don’t think you’ll have a chance with anyone. Let alone him.”

Sokka put his head in his hands. “I know, I know that, it’s just when I’m talking to him I always say something stupid.”

Katara sighed. “Yes, that’s a common symptom of being head over heels in love with someone. Which you are, don’t deny it.”

“Katara? What’s taking so long?” said Mai, and she had apparently gotten up to check on Katara because Katara turned around and said, “It’s nothing, just Sokka and his boy troubles.” 

He heard Mai sigh loudly. “Sokka, whoever it is, just ask him out. Don’t be a coward. Easiest advice ever. And stop bothering my girlfriend.”   
Sokka wanted to say that he  _ couldn’t, _ but then that might open a whole new can of questions, and he certainly didn’t want Mai knowing that he liked Zuko. “Fine, maybe I will,” he said. “Also, your girlfriend is my sister, so I’m not bothering her. I’m allowed to talk to her.”

“Just to be clear, you are bothering me,” Katara said, and Sokka shot her a glare. “Mai’s right, Sokka. You’ve got to bite the bullet at some point.”

“But what if he-”

“‘What if he’ what? What if  _ you _ never tell him, and he gets married, and you go home to the Southern Water Tribe and lament what could’ve been? This was never a problem with Yue or Suki or any of those other girls, why is it a problem now?”

“You know why,” Sokka hissed, glancing around out of habit. “It’s because, you know, he’s a  _ guy, _ and I can’t-”

“Think about what you’re about to say, and think about the fact that you’re talking to your waterbender sister who has a knife-wielding girlfriend in the other room, and then decide if you want to finish that thought,” Katara said coldly, and Sokka knew she was right. He knew that he was still, despite everything, afraid of that part of himself. 

“How did you do it?” he asked softly. 

“Mai asked me to dance,” Katara said. “And I said yes. And then later I told her that I liked her, and she agreed, and now here we are. You take that first step, then if he likes you too he’ll take the next one.”

Easier said than done, Sokka thought. He turned away from Katara’s room and went down the hall, intending to head back to the embassy and mull things over. Katara’s words rang in his head as he walked:  _ what if you never tell him, and lament what could’ve been? _ He always tried to be what he called practical, limiting his thoughts of Zuko to his eyes or his laugh and not what could be if he were braver.  _ What could’ve been. _ If Sokka told Zuko, and it didn’t go horribly wrong… If Zuko said, with an embarrassed smile, that he liked Sokka too, they'd go out together and maybe things would work. Sokka couldn’t help but smile at the thought of it. 

_ Don’t be a coward, _ Mai had said. She was right, he was a coward. Scared of this, despite everything he’d faced. He’d done this before, with Suki and Yue and other girls, and even though that had been different because Zuko was his close friend and he’d been letting these stupid feelings build up for  _ months _ without doing anything about it, he could still do this. He was brave enough, he knew he was. Sokka turned on his heel and went back inside the palace, walking purposefully to Zuko’s rooms, just a few strides short of a run.

* * *

Zuko’s guards let Sokka into the chamber outside his bedroom. Sokka stood and waited for Zuko, feeling the knot of nerves in his stomach writhe and flutter. He could do this. Maybe. 

Zuko entered the room and Sokka looked up, meeting his eyes. Golden. Oh fuck, this was going to be impossible. “Zuko, I-”

“Wait,” said Zuko. “I’m sorry I just dropped that question on you. Y’know, about the marriage and love and everything? I didn’t think. I mean, it must’ve been awkward for you, and I shouldn’t have laughed, and really if you’re here to apologize you don’t need to because-”

“No!” said Sokka. “I mean, no, that’s not why I’m here.”

“Oh. Well then, why are you here?” 

“I- Zuko, can I tell you something serious? Like, I’m not joking around right now, I mean this.”

“Sokka, who did you kill?” Zuko asked, leaning forward just a little bit, making Sokka’s heart beat faster. 

“I said, no joking around! I didn’t kill anyone.”

“Okay, sorry. What do you have to tell me?”

“You know how you were talking about love and stuff? I’m- there’s someone. That I’m in love with. And, Zuko, I don’t know how to say this in the right way, but-”

“It’s fine,” Zuko said softly. “I get it, Sokka. I’ve been in love too. You can leave, send in a new ambassador.”

Sokka was momentarily shocked out of his nerves. “What are you talking about? A new ambassador? I’m not leaving, if you’d just let me finish-”

“It’s fine, I said it’s fine! You can go now, it’s fine,” Zuko sounded like he was on the verge of tears.

“You’re so, so stupid sometimes, Zuko.”

“Oh great, another insult. You don’t need to rub it in, Sokka. Just leave.”

“Zuko, it’s you! I’m in love with you.” 

The words seemed to hang in the air between them. Sokka couldn’t look Zuko in the eye, his heart was pounding. He dug his fingernails into his palms, waiting for those words of rejection. Waiting for the “I’m sorry, but…”

There was nothing, and then there was… laughter? Zuko was laughing. Sokka looked up. “Oh, come on. I’m not that bad, am I?”

“Sokka, you marvelous idiot, surely you have to have realized by now that  _ I’m in love with you too. _ ”

Sokka stared at him, heart still pounding loud enough that he was sure Zuko could hear it, wondering if this was some sort of joke. “Really?”

“Yes!” said Zuko, sounding exasperated. “I thought I was being obvious. I thought you were trying to let me down easy. For fuck’s sake, Sokka, I asked you if I was hot, and you said  _ no. _ ”

“Yeah, because if I said yes, that would’ve been weird!”

“Is this why you’ve been acting like this since you got here? All smiles one moment, angry the next? Is that your idea of flirting?”

“I was trying- I don’t- I’m so stupid,” Sokka said, running a hand through his hair. “I’ve been agonizing about this for  _ forever _ and it turns out you just… liked me? And thought I didn’t like you?”

“Apparently,” Zuko said, reaching out a hesitant hand to touch Sokka’s shoulder. His hand was warm, and the touch felt almost electric. “Out of curiosity, how long is forever?”

“Since before I came in as ambassador. Since the months after the war ended,” Sokka muttered, embarrassed to admit it now. 

“Spirits, you took your time,” Zuko said. 

“I’m here now, aren’t I? That’s what counts.”

Zuko smiled, and nodded. “You are,” he said softly, and Sokka felt the anxiety in his gut dissipate.  _ I’m here now. _

“Can I kiss you?” Zuko asked, and Sokka was intensely aware of how close they’d gotten, of Zuko’s eyes looking right into his, and he said without a hint of uncertainty, “Yes.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next three chapters are all much shorter than these first two, they're meant to be epilogues of a sort. This is really more of a longfic plus three epilogues, but I made it chapters because I thought it would be easier for people to read.


	3. I'd rather pull out my teeth, than be what you want me to be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue 1 - Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continuing the theme, this chapter title is from You Don't Own Me by Pale Waves.

A ship from the Southern Water Tribe sailed into the Fire Nation port, asking for Ambassador Sokka. Instead, they ended up sailing back with Katara. And Mai, who’d been dragged along by her girlfriend, despite protesting. Apparently Sokka had written home and asked to be replaced after Katara and Zuko’s deaths, and his father had sent the ship before news of their resurrection could reach him. The sailors were quite surprised to see Katara alive and well greeting them at the docks. 

So now Mai was here, leaning over the edge of a flimsy Water Tribe boat, trying to keep down the contents of her stomach but not really succeeding. The ocean was much closer, much more impactful on this boat than it would’ve been if they were taking a Fire Nation steamer. Mai didn’t like it at all. The seasickness was ruining her reputation among these Water Tribe men. They treated her like a glass ornament, something strange and breakable. She hated that, hated the way they treated her. Mai could deal with being seen as an outsider: she just despised being seen as delicate.

But she was here for Katara, and it was for her sake that Mai would grit her teeth and allow the men to give her strange looks or tell her for the millionth time that ‘the sea isn’t for everyone’. She was naturally a skeptic, a sarcastic person, but she didn’t want Katara’s people to dislike her. They seemed kind to each other, and to Katara, that just didn’t seem to extend to Mai. Maybe they thought she was some sort of spy for the Fire Nation, or maybe they just didn’t think about her at all. Whatever the case, Mai tried her best to steer clear of the ship’s crew. 

Water Tribe boats were light and small, meaning that there wasn’t much under-deck space for Mai to hide from the sun, and her pale skin burned easily in the pounding heat. At home, her pale complexion had been seen as a good thing, something that marked her status as a noblewoman, but here among the Water Tribe it was strange and made her stand out. According to Katara, most of them had never seen as pale a person as Mai unless they’d been fighting against them. She caught some of the younger men staring with fascination and maybe a bit more than that. 

That was another thing: Katara still wanted to keep them a secret. Mai couldn’t blame her, she wouldn’t want something to happen to Katara because of her, but it was still frustrating. She missed being able to hold Katara’s hand in public, missed sneaking to each other’s rooms in the palace. The boat was too small for rooms: everyone slept on the deck, when it was warm enough. When it wasn’t, they made do with the small cargo hold, but it was crowded. 

When the ship finally arrived at the South Pole, Katara took Mai’s sleeve and dragged her excitedly through the streets, marvelling at all the new buildings and people. “It’s gotten so much bigger since I left!” Katara said, turning in all directions to drink everything in. “There were never permanent houses before, and all those boats… my father’s done a lot of work.” 

Mai couldn’t say she was impressed. The Southern Water Tribe’s biggest city was… much closer to a village. To Katara, she said, “It’s very… icy.”

Katara smiled. “You’ll get used to it. Now come on, we need to get you some proper clothes. You’ll freeze to death in that!”

Mai was dragged by Katara to a small igloo where a short elderly woman measured Mai’s arms and legs and said things like “very skinny” and “have you ever been outside?” The woman eventually gave Mai a warm coat and snow boots, and since it wasn’t winter yet that was all she needed. Katara thanked her and paid in Water Tribe money, which she still somehow had from the time she’d visited the Northern Tribe. 

“Thanks,” Mai said as they left the igloo, burying her hands into the pockets of the coat. “It’s so cold here.”

“Well yes, it’s the South Pole,” Katara said, giving Mai a small smile. They were both intense people, Mai knew, but Katara was always the happier one. Mai needed that. She’d been around too many gloomy people in her life, it had kept her spirits down. With Katara she always felt looser, like she could let down her walls and tell the other girl anything. She knew Katara didn’t judge. 

“Are we going to see your father today?” Mai asked, and Katara nodded. “I don’t know how happy he’ll be to see me. Sokka was always his favorite.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, of course he’ll be glad to see you. Especially since he hasn’t seen you in at least a year.”

“I know he’ll be glad to see me,” Katara said, adjusting the cuffs of her sleeves. “I just don’t know how he’ll feel when I tell him that Sokka wants to stay in the Fire Nation for the foreseeable future. Plus, you know. Our thing.”

They’d discussed it before leaving, but Katara still had a hard time saying it out loud. She’d told Mai that she wanted to tell her father about them, and Mai had said she had no problem with it, but it seemed like Katara might. Mai had never really been scared of people knowing who she was with. She didn’t have the energy to care. At the Fire Nation School for Girls, there had been plenty of instances of girls being together. It was pretty much normal. Of course there were the extremists who said it was unnatural, but they were a small minority who Mai had never encountered.

It had taken some time for Katara to understand that no one was going to say anything to her if she was out with Mai, and once she’d gotten comfortable with it, they’d go out in the city whenever they could. Now it felt like those early days all over again, when Katara was jumpy and nervous all the time, always pulling away from even a small touch. 

“Do you have any idea how you want to tell him?” Mai asked, trying to keep her tone light. Which was hard, since her default voice was always pissed off. 

“I don’t know, I mean is it better for me to do it alone or to bring you along? Is it something you say at dinner? In private? I don’t know how these sorts of discussions are supposed to go,” Katara said, balling up her gloved hands into fists. 

“I told my parents over dinner when I was around ten,” Mai confided, nudging Katara with her elbow. “I said that I thought girls were very pretty and I didn’t think anyone would rather have a boy over a girl. They didn’t react. I still don’t know if that was because they already knew, or they just didn’t care enough to say anything.”

“I’m pretty much certain my dad won’t do that,” Katara said, “He’s bound to have some sort of reaction. But what do I do if it’s bad? I love him, Mai, but I love you, and if he doesn’t want you around, how am I supposed to choose? I don’t want to leave either of you.”

Mai shrugged. “We cross that bridge when we get to it, right? He wouldn’t do something that would hurt you.”

Katara nodded slowly. “You’re right, Mai. As always.” She planted a soft kiss on Mai’s cheek, and Mai put an arm around Katara. “Let’s go.”

Katara’s father lived in the middle of the city. His private residence was indistinguishable from the surrounding houses, which to Mai was odd. No opulence for one of the highest ranking Southern Tribe chiefs, it seemed. Katara led Mai inside, where a man who must’ve been her father was busy cooking something over a small flame. He looked up when they entered. Mai stood awkwardly in the doorway as father and daughter embraced. “It’s been too long,” he said, looking Katara up and down. “The Fire Nation has changed you. Did Sokka come?”

“No, he decided to stay. He had business to take care of. He says he’ll visit soon, though.”

Hakoda sighed. “I miss having both of you home. We haven’t all been together since the war. But I’m glad to see you, Katara.”

Katara smiled at him, and for a fleeting moment Mai wondered how she could ever get in between the love Katara had for her father. Just then, however, he finally noticed her. “Oh! Katara, have you brought another guest?” her father said, squinting at Mai. “Do I recognize you?”

Mai gave a small bow, unsure of the right protocol to greet a Water Tribe chief, and introduced herself. “My name is Mai, sir. I helped you, Zuko, and Sokka escape Boiling Rock.”

“Ah, right. The knife throwing girl. What brings you here?”

Mai glanced at Katara, unsure of what to say. Was this the right time? Katara slipped wordlessly to Mai’s side, gripping her hand. “Dad, I invited Mai because I wanted you to meet her. Zuko made her captain of his guard, and we’ve been working side by side in the Fire Nation. She saved me from the kidnappers who took me. And she’s also my girlfriend.”

For a long, agonizing moment, there was silence. Katara was nearly crushing Mai’s hand in hers. Mai’s eyes were glued on Hakoda, her heart pounding, waiting for his reaction. She barely knew the man, but somehow his approval felt important to her. 

He smiled. “Well, then she’ll have to join us for dinner!”

Mai felt Katara’s grip relax. She let out a breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding. Katara turned to whisper, “you were right,” into Mai’s ear before she began to help her father serve the food. Mai felt warmth blossom across her entire body. She’d only just arrived, but she had a sneaking suspicion that the Southern Tribe would be better than she’d thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See, much shorter! I imagine this taking place a few months after the end of the last chapter, since it would take a while for a boat to travel from the South Pole all the way to the Fire Nation.


	4. Loving You, Loving You Is Easy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue II - Betrothal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title from Easy by Pale Waves

There had been signs, the nobility lamented afterwards, if only they’d been able to spot them quicker. 

Firelord Zuko stopped attending dinners so frequently with noble families, though he brushed off any concerns with the fact that he was so busy ruling a country in turmoil. He also started holding private meetings with the Southern Water Tribe’s ambassador much more often, but that could be explained away by the fact that the South had much less power than the North, and any alliance with the Fire Nation could prove very useful to them. Zuko kept to himself whenever he could, but of course the man was a very private person, even before his banishment. Guards could often hear multiple voices coming from the Firelord’s rooms, but they always assumed it was just servants or secretaries or friends of Zuko’s. 

Zuko was twenty years old when he announced to a room of advisors that he needed to throw a party. “I want nobility there, but also the people of the city. Ambassadors from other nations as well.” 

One of his advisors spoke up. “Forgive me, Firelord, but what is the purpose of such an event? We cannot afford just to waste resources-”

Zuko grinned, as if he knew something they didn’t. “My apologies. I’d forgotten to explain. It’ll be less of a party, more of an announcement.”

“An announcement of what, exactly?” said another advisor, agitated at the Firelord’s vagueness. 

“Of my engagement, of course.”

Sokka had presented the necklace to him a week prior, and Zuko had barely been surprised. That didn’t mean he hadn’t been holding back happy tears, of course, as Sokka recited a rather lengthy list of all the reasons he wanted to marry Zuko. He’d said yes,  _ of course  _ he’d said yes, and Sokka had beamed at him and tied the betrothal necklace around Zuko’s throat. Sokka, always thoughtful, had carved it out of a deep red stone instead of the traditional Water Tribe blue. “An unusual necklace for an unusual couple,” he’d joked, but Zuko could tell Sokka was proud of his work. Every morning when Zuko woke up since that day, he’d stare at it in the mirror for as long as he could afford to before he tucked it away into a pocket. For now, no one could know. For only a couple more weeks, but it still hurt Zuko every time he had to remove the betrothal necklace. 

Everyone closest to them knew, of course. Their friends and what remained of their families. But the future spouse of the Firelord was a massively debated topic throughout the Nation, every noble family wanting to increase their standing by arranging a marriage. This announcement was bound to make some of them angry. It was worth it, to Zuko, even if every noble family turned their backs on him. Worries about politics and reputation faded into nothing when faced with Sokka’s blue eyes, Sokka’s laugh, Sokka’s warm calloused hands. 

On the day of the announcement, as Zuko approached the curtained room next to the balcony he’d stand and speak from, he felt a wave of nostalgia. Just like the night of his eighteenth birthday when he’d stepped from behind a dark curtain to address people from across the world, except this time it was about something much closer to his heart.  _ Hopefully I don’t get stabbed this time, _ he thought. 

He pushed open the door to see Sokka pacing back and forth, dressed in his blue Water Tribe clothes, sword on his back and boomerang at his hip. A smaller, silver version of the hairpiece Zuko wore had been placed in his hair. Zuko couldn’t help but smile as he watched him. “You ready?” he asked, slipping into the room. 

Sokka nodded. “I’m more than ready, I’m excited. Is that weird? It’ll be nice not to hide anymore. Plus, maybe I’m looking forward to the looks on everyone’s faces when they find out.”

Zuko laughed. “It’ll be a surprise, that’s for sure. I’ve heard the rumors about me, and most of them involve a secret affair with a- well, it doesn’t really matter what they say. They’re all wildly off the mark.”

Sokka smirked. “It’s because I’m so good at hiding.” He wiggled his fingers. “The firelord’s elusive boyfriend, slipping in and out of the palace without leaving a trace.”

Zuko rolled his eyes. “You’re just lucky I’ve always despised the nobility. Otherwise they might’ve gotten suspicious.”

Sokka sighed. “This is… I gotta say, when I left home nearly five years ago now, I never expected… I never thought I’d end up here. But I’m glad I did.”

“I did. I mean, not exactly this, but I always wanted to prove myself honorable, and I guess I managed that. It just took me a while to get there.”

“Your majesty,” said one of the guards from outside, peeking through the curtain. “Everyone is waiting.”

Zuko nodded, and inhaled a shaky breath. Sokka took his hand and squeezed it. “The sooner you say it, the sooner I’ll be out there with you,” he said softly, and Zuko nodded. 

He stood on the balcony and looked out on the assembled people. A small delegation of Southern warriors, Katara and Mai amongst them. The Northern Tribe delegation, slightly larger in number, positioned behind the Southern group. Members of his council and their families, as well as Fire Nation citizens he didn’t recognize who seemed a bit dazzled by all the forigen powers around them. A delegation from the Earth Kingdom, as well as a few Kyoshi warriors. He recognized Ty Lee and Suki standing at the front of the group. Aang, seated on his bison towards the back of the crowd, waved as Zuko stepped out. Zuko waved back. 

The babble of conversation quieted to a murmur as Zuko stepped out. He was wearing a heavy, high-collared cloak to cover the betrothal necklace, and it was making him sweat under the bright midday sun. “Welcome, esteemed guests,” Zuko began, reciting the speech he’d practiced many times.

“Since my eighteenth birthday, the question of my marriage has come up quite often, both amongst my council and the greater public. I’m here today to announce that I have arranged a betrothal that will be suitable to me, and I hope you’ll welcome my future spouse with as much warmth as you’d welcome me.”

The crowd waited with baited breath. Zuko could’ve heard a pin drop. He moved his hands to the clasp of his cloak, removing it and handing it off to a guard. “Everyone, may I have the pleasure of introducing you to my future husband, Ambassador Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe!”

Zuko’s heart was pounding as the words left his lips, worried for an instant that  _ something  _ might happen, but Sokka simply walked through the curtain and waved, moving to stand beside Zuko.

Zuko grabbed his hand quickly, and glanced at him. Sokka was smiling. The crowd was cheering. Zuko thought he could hear his Uncle’s voice in the din. Everything was perfect, considering the circumstances.

Sokka stepped forward. “I’m not the best public speaker, as I’m sure the warriors of my tribe could tell you. But I’m happy to be here, by Zuko’s side. This was my choice as much as his.”

The nobles looked utterly betrayed. The Earth Kingdom delegation seemed confused, as did most everyone else. But Zuko’s eyes found Sokka’s, and he was beaming, and it was all worth it. 

A formal dinner came afterwards, with Zuko and Sokka at its center, questions flying at them from every attendee. They explained, seemingly a hundred times, that yes it was a love marriage, no Sokka hadn’t tricked Zuko with Water Tribe sorcery, and  _ of course  _ Zuko hadn’t done this to get out of paying reparations to the Water Tribe. 

Zuko had prepared for this, but he was surprised that it didn’t really bother him much. The questions did, but being seated next to Sokka at dinner more than made up for it.  _ I’ll get to do this forever, if things go right, _ Zuko thought, as he watched Sokka explain to one of the members of his tribe how he and Mai had saved Zuko from the strange underground lab.  _ For the rest of your life  _ was a big commitment, but Zuko believed he’d never get tired of this.


	5. There's Always Tomorrow To Get You By

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue III - Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title from Tomorrow by Pale Waves.
> 
> Chronologically, this takes place after the last episode of Season One of Legend of Korra.

“Can I come in?” Korra called from outside Katara’s home. “If you need more healing, come back another day! I’m exhausted,” came Katara’s voice from inside.

Korra entered anyway, sitting herself on the floor by where Katara lay in bed. “ I’m worried. Maybe you can help me. Amon’s gone, but… I can’t stop thinking about how easily he got the people on his side. They hated benders, most of them probably still do. How do I get the people’s trust back? Is it even possible for benders and non-benders to coexist peacefully?”

“Of course it’s possible, dear. I was the only bender in my family. My brother, my father, my wife, none of them could bend.”

“You were married?” Korra asked, tilting her head. Katara smiled. “Yes, I was. Her name was Mai. She was the most fierce woman I knew.”

“I’ve never even heard of her,” Korra said. “My trainers have told me all about you, and the Avatar and the Firelord and Toph, but never Mai.”

“She was a friend of Azula’s, and at first we fought on opposite sides. Then she saved Zuko from Azula at Boiling Rock, and in the end left her behind. You know of the ways benders work together in Republic City? The arena, the schools? I helped to create all that when I lived in the Fire Nation with her. Later, we moved here. The South needed a leader after my father stepped down, and for a while that was Mai and I.”

“You were the chief of our tribe? But I’d always assumed that your brother…”

Katara laughed. “Sokka was a chief in name only. It was an honorary title given to him after his death. Once he moved to the Fire Nation, and helped with the founding of Republic City, he got distracted by project after project and never returned home for longer than a few months.”

“How come I’ve never heard of all this? About what your brother did with his life, or your wife? It seems like they were just as important in rebuilding the world.”

“Benders aren’t without their flaws, Korra. We are proud, and some of us seem to think we’re above those without our powers. Even though the war was won by non-benders fighting alongside benders, it’s the story of the benders that gets told. Aang wouldn’t have been able to face Ozai if it hadn’t been for my brother and our friend Suki, who took down the Fire Nation war balloons and stopped them from attacking Aang. Zuko wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for Mai and Ty Lee turning on Azula. My brother saved us on countless occasions, despite not having a bending bone in his body.”

“Can you tell me more? Maybe I can take these stories back to Republic City, show people that we aren’t enemies.”

Katara stood. “Did you know my brother invented the submarine? And helped to invent the war balloon? Even after the war was over, he still didn’t stop. The first camera was his creation. That led to the films they have in Republic City today.” 

Katara pulled a small box off a high shelf, and sat beside Korra to show her the photos. They were completely black and white, and a bit grainy, but Korra recognized a younger Katara in the first photo. She was in the arms of a tall woman with long hair, dressed in old Fire Nation clothes. “This was from when Sokka came south to show us his first working camera,” Katara said. “He made us do the pose.” 

Korra flipped through the photos. There were many more of Mai and Katara, as well as pictures of various other people. Some Korra recognized, like Toph Beifong and Avatar Aang, while others she could only guess. She held up one photo, inspecting it. “Is this Firelord Zuko?” she asked, recognizing the scar that showed up as a grey patch in the black and white photo. He was smiling at the camera. She looked closer. “Why is he wearing a Water Tribe betrothal necklace?”

Katara looked shocked. “Zuko and my brother were married. Don’t your instructors teach you anything about history?”

Korra shrugged. “I know about all of Aang’s feats of bravery, but not much else. Zuko was his counsel, his ally. They barely mention Sokka.”

“That is the problem. It’s not that we inherently cannot live in peace between benders and non-benders, it’s that we’ve created a world where benders think they are superior. Just because we have powers doesn’t make us better than ordinary people. Sokka, Suki, Mai, Ty Lee, Yue, so many brave non-benders who helped Aang win the war. The people of Republic City need to know their stories.”

“Are any of them still alive?” Korra asked.

“Ty Lee is still alive, though the others have all passed on. When you have the time, you should speak with her. I think you’d like Kyoshi Island, which is where she lives. Most of the girls who train there are non-benders, and some of the best fighters in the world.” 

Korra sighed, looking off into the distance. “Someday, I hope I’ll be able to visit her. To just… travel, and not worry about being the Avatar.”

Katara smiled knowingly. “The stories they tell of heroes always speak of their adventures, not the peaceful lives they lived in between. Your time for peace will come, I’m sure of it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, if you read this whole thing! It's my first avatar fic, and I didn't have a beta reader, so if you catch any spelling/grammar errors feel free to tell me. 
> 
> Also, here's my rundown of how everyone's life goes in this universe if anyone's interested:
> 
> \- Zuko and Aang still founded Republic City, but Sokka was also a big part of the effort to create the place, which is why he became a member of its council (which is shown in a flashback in LoK). I really think Sokka would absolutely be the one who loved Republic City the most. 
> 
> \- Kya, Bumi, and Tenzin still exist in this universe, or at least people similar to them. In my mind, Katara and Mai adopt a daughter while Aang has kids with someone else. Up to you to decide who his partner is. 
> 
> \- I think Katara became leader of the Southern Water Tribe until retiring after Mai dies. Sokka stays in the Fire Nation/Republic City, but visits often. 
> 
> \- Suki and Ty Lee are together. They become the matriarchs of Kyoshi Island and will take in any girl who wants to learn to fight. 
> 
> \- Izumi was adopted by Zuko and Sokka.
> 
> \- I didn't know how to include it in this fic but I think Zuko does eventually find his mom. I know there's a comic about that but I've never read it, so in this universe I think she hears about Firelord Zuko ending the war and tries to find him, while he's also trying to find her, and they're eventually reunited.
> 
> \- I know she isn't in this fic at all, but I headcanon Toph as being aromantic. Just wanted to throw that in there because I had no reason to include it in the fic but still wanted to say it.
> 
> \- Most of the Zukka fics i read have the Fire Nation being homophobic, and while I see where that's coming from seeing as they're an authoritarian state and all, I still wanted to try writing an accepting Fire Nation AU. People contain multitudes, after all 
> 
> \- this is my first avatar fic, though there's probably at least one more in my mind that I'm going to write. It's much more angsty than this one, but yes it is another Maitara fic. I simply think that goth gf x cool gf is a great combo


End file.
